Hidden Power
by Love-in-the-Stars
Summary: AU. Slash. TsengReno. Adepts have special powers, very powerful powers, that a certain company wants to control to own the world. Despite the fighting back, Adepts are losing this war but is the end as close as they think?
1. Chapter 1

**Hidden Power**

Summery: There is a small race of people hidden away in the world capable of intense power. Some call it magic others simply think of it as hell force, all evil. In truth it is nothing more then a gift from deep within the person. Normal humans will not accept these people, thinking them of a horrible threat to life, so they are hidden deep within the normal ranks, peacefully living their lives out. But such peace died when a force know as Shinra rose to control these people for its own evil intention. The race had then been forced to rise in defense against mass murders and kidnapping to no avail. These people became known as Adepts. Listen to their story as two Adepts find love in a ravaged and dieing world.

Reno/Tseng, Cloud/Zack

A/N: Well, I'm back at work on a whole new story. One that is certainly unusual for me to be writing but it's been a heck of a lot of fun. Although if the summery wasn't hint enough this is an ALTERNATE UNIVERSE story with YAOI or SLASH depending on what you call it. It won't be slashy right off the bat but I'm going to get there. Although I really shouldn't be posting this and juggling it with Crimson Clouds and Black Rainbow, I just can't help it. When I need a break from those two I have a third option that is a lot of fun to mess with. I have a feeling many of my readers will really enjoy this. ) At least I hope you will…

Please READ AND REVIEW if you all will be so kind, they really make my day, especially if they are nice comments. But don't be afraid to flame me, in fact, I encourage them! ) If you don't like it, tell me why. HOWEVER, any flaming for it being YAOI or SLASH will be removed and completely ignored because you have been warned. Same goes for it being ALTERNATE UNIVERSE, note the CAPITAL LETTERS being used to emphasis this. And for those of you who read all this crap I clap for you, 'cause I know a lot of people don't. Hell, sometimes I don't. Which is really bad…

CHAPTER ONE:

'This is so not good.' A red head thought to himself. He turned to run only to find he was surrounded. The blue clad SOLDIERS sneered at him but remained wary. He held his hands out in front of him and summoned a blade of fire.

'I will not let them take me alive!'

He held his sword easily in his right hand and lifted his left. He pointed his palm at the SOLDIERS in front of him and they raised their shields in a pathetic attempt of defense. Fire leaped viciously from his palm and destroyed all in its path. He ran through the cleared space, slicing down any SOLDIER who dared get in his way. Running as fast as he could he began to leave the SOLDIERS behind, losing himself in the maze of a city. Once he had run a good distance he stopped and put his hands on his knees, panting. He coughed, tasted the metallic taint of blood and spat.

'Shit, that attack used more energy then I thought. Not to mention I've been running for three damn days.'

He let his sword dissipate and sighed.

'I can't keep running. I have to find a place to hole up for a little while and get my energy back.'

Green eyes scanned the surroundings. He turned back the way he had come and realized the SOLDIERS had regrouped. He sighed, turned to run and ran into someone. Arms wrapped around him tightly and he stood perfectly still, shocked that someone had snuck up on him. He was tall but the man who held him was about an inch or so taller. He looked up and saw that the man had hair as dark as a raven's wing and it fell to his shoulders. In the middle of the man's forehead was a black tilak and he had chocolate brown eyes. He immediately knew who he had been caught by. This man was Shinra's Sensor, an Adept with the ability of sensing another Adept's powering and pinpointing it, it was the only way the man could have taken him like that.

'I will not be taken!' he thought furiously. He fisted his hand and drew his power into it.

"Don't." The man hissed warningly. He ignored it and opened his hand, a fireball forming. Before he could use it though he felt a sharp prick at the back of his neck and the fireball dissolved. Suddenly he felt completely powerless. He struggled to free himself, the closeness of the man's body was extremely unnerving when he could feel the man's body heat.

"Let go of me!" he growled.

"Only if you listen to what I have to say." The man returned.

He stilled and thought,

"Fine."

The man slowly released him, cautious that he would run. He backed up a few steps and silently waited.

"As I am sure you realized I work for Shinra, but not of my own decision. I work for them because I must, not because I wish to. I want nothing more then to be free of Shinra. You don't want to be used by them and neither do I. We can help each other, I can tell that your too weak to run or fight, you will be captured. If you work with me and give Shinra the pretense that you want to work for them, we can win their trust and us that to escape."

The man fell silent then and studied the person before him. The Adept had spiky red hair that was about an inch too short to reach his shoulders. He had emerald green eyes that held a dim glow that all Adepts had that only he, a Sensor, could see. Only Adepts had that inner power glow, the stronger the glow the more energy the Adept possessed. The redhead's glow was very dim, he was at his energy limit and if exhausted farther he would probably die. He was wearing baggy clothes that hid a well toned body, if not a little too much on the thin side.

"So let me get this straight. You want me to be willingly be captured by Shinra, do their dirty work willingly and help you escape, all willingly?"

The man nodded.

"I don't fucking think so."

The man sighed,

"To keep running from them will mean death for you."

He shook his head,

"I don't care. I have nothing but my Power left for me anyway, and that is not a blessing."

"More and more Adepts are being discovered each day and Shinra either kills them or uses them. When we escape we can form a team and destroy Shinra."

"We can put Shinra down?" he asked suspiciously.

"Yes, but only by working together."

"Destroy Shinra, huh? Okay. You've got a deal. The name's Reno."

The man nodded,

"I'm Tseng."

Reno looked behind him at the quickly approaching SOLDIERS,

"Alright, now what?"

"Now we begin our deception." Tseng replied.

Reno smirked, "Cool. Now when will that Serum wear off? I want my power back."

"Don't worry, I only gave you a small dose, it should wear off very soon. However, I suggest that you don't use any until you have a chance to rest."

Reno nodded,

"I know. I'm not dumb."

Tseng shook his head, quickly coming up behind Reno and handcuffing him.

Reno yelped,

"Hey! What do you think your doing?!"

"Relax. It's just standard procedure. If I didn't do it they would be suspicious."

"Don't mean I have to like it." He mumbled to himself.

"I don't expect you to. Reno, I need you to trust me if this is going to work."

Reno glared at him,

"Trust is not something I'm going to hand out just like that. You've got to earn my trust."

Tseng nodded,

"That's perfectly understandable. I agree."

"Then don't ask something of me I can't give."

Tseng sighed and eyed the approaching SOLDIERS,

"You see that silver haired man out in front of the SOLDIERS?"

Reno nodded,

"Yeah. What about him?"

"That's Sephiroth, the General of the SOLDIERS and pride of Shinra. He's not an Adept but he is extremely powerful. Nobody had ever defeated him in battle."

Reno whistled,

"Wow, the guy must be something else, huh?"

Tseng nodded,

"There are only two SOLDIERS under Sephiroth's command you can trust, I'll introduce you later but as for the General himself I'm leery of him. The General's a strange one. You'll have to keep your eye on him but as long as you stay out of his way I think you'll be okay."

Reno nodded and absently tugged at the handcuffs.

"Oh, and one more thing." Tseng said, "You're an Adept, Reno, never forget that. But you must never use your power against a worker in Shinra's employment unless otherwise ordered by Shinra. The last thing we need is to anger Shinra. If we cause anger we will be killed."

Reno sighed,

"Great. We don't have long then."

Tseng looked at him in confusion. Reno noticed and shrugged,

"Let's just say people have a tendency to get pissed off just at my personality. I'm the kind of person who's going to say what they think."

"So your hot headed."

"Yep. In both senses."

Tseng only shook his head,

"Just control yourself and be polite."

"Yes, sir." Reno said with a grin.

Tseng sighed.

&

As the man and his SOLDIERS approached they were able to get a clear picture of the man. The General was very tall with very long silver hair and an extremely long sword. Beside Tseng, Reno gasped suddenly and swore,

"Shit! Shit, shit, shit! You damn idiot Reno. It's the damn General! The General! Great Shiva, don't let him recognize me."

Tseng looked at him in bewilderment but it was too late to question the Adept for the General had stopped only a few feet away.

"Tseng. I'm glad to see that you've caught him. I was getting tired of running after him, he's an unusually tricky one."

Reno held his silence.

"He's cost me a high number of men, Tseng. I hope for his sake you've managed to convert him."

Tseng nodded, "I have."

"Good." Sephiroth said, eyeing Reno. "What's your name Adept?"

"Reno, sir." He replied, searching for that flicker of recognition in his strange blue-green eyes. He found none.

"Well Reno, welcome to Shinra. Tseng, I imagine your car is near here, correct?"

"Yes, I'm taking him to see Shinra."

Sephiroth nodded,

"Very well. I'll leave two SOLDIERS along with you."

The General turned toward his troops,

"Zack Fair and Cloud Strife."

A black haired man stepped up, closely followed by a blond man.

"Escort these two to their vehicle and return to base."

"Yes, sir!"

The General then swept away, the remaining platoon following his lead. The black haired man turned to Tseng,

"Man, am I glad you were the one who caught up to him."

Tseng shrugged,

"Reno wasn't hard to find."

The man turned to him,

"Reno, huh? I'm Zack and this is my friend Cloud."

Zack lowered his voice and said, "He doesn't talk much."

The spoken of blonde glared at him and Zack grinned,

"See what I mean?"

Reno laughed, he had a feeling that Zack and he would get along just fine.

Zack sobered slightly,

"But really, Reno, you're tough. I think you could have taken out the whole platoon if you had a mind to."

Reno shrugged,

"I don't know about that."

Zack stared,

"Are you kidding! You wiped out thirty three of our men with that one attack."

Reno just shrugged and thought to himself, 'One attack that nearly killed me.'

"Anyway." Tseng broke in,

"We should really get going. You two don't have to escort us, the car is right around the corner and I know you must be tired."

Zack nodded,

"Yeah, tired is an understatement. Thanks, we'll see you later." They turned and with a wave form Zack, the two SOLDIERS hurried after the rest of them. Tseng turned around,

"This way."

"So, Tseng, are those two the SOLDIERS you said I could trust?"

Tseng nodded,

"Yes."

"Cool. I like that Zack. He's got a sense of humor, that's not something you see very often. I don't know what to think about Cloud though."

"Cloud's just quiet…you want to tell me what that was all about?"

Reno looked up at the sky,

"What do you mean?"

Tseng just looked at him. Reno shrugged,

"I've just had a bit of a run in with him once. He had order to kill me. I was only 17 at the time so I escaped fairly easily. Eventually Shinra just assumed I was dead and quit looking for me."

Tseng shook his head, "You just keep on surprising."

Reno grinned, "It's what I do best." He said before spying a sleek black car,

"Whoa! Is that yours? How did you afford it?"

Tseng only shrugged,

"I saved up, and we do get paid."

Reno's eyes widened,

"Really? Sweet."

Then Reno's nose twitched and he sniffed,

"Uh, Tseng. My nose itches."

Tseng rolled his eyes and moved behind him, unlocking and removing the handcuffs. Reno rubbed his nose with a sigh then absently touched his wrists. Tseng opened the passenger side door and gestured for him to get in, then moved around to the other side. Reno moved to get in but a sharp flare of pain unlike anything he'd ever felt set fire to his brain. He clutched his head and cried out against the heat that was frying his head. All his Power that had been subdued came rushing back in wave after wave of intense burning. It washed through his entire body, but he felt the effects more in his head then anywhere. In a flash Tseng was at his side,

"Reno! What is it?"

Tseng gripped his shoulders and shook him lightly.

"Open your eyes, Reno! Open them!" Instinctively he obeyed. Using his own power Tseng saw that Reno's eyes burned fiercely with Power, too much Power. Reno gave a shuttering sigh then and sagged slightly. The fire in his body and eyes faded to what Tseng could deem safe and helped Reno to stand back up.

"Damn, that hurt." Reno muttered.

"The best I can tell," Tseng said,

"You had an allergic reaction to the serum."

"You think?" Reno replied sarcastically.

Tseng stared at him and Reno looked away, "Sorry."

Tseng shook his head,

"I'll have one of the scientists check you out and find the problem. Let's go."

Reno nodded and got in his side as Tseng went around the other side. The car started quietly and they headed off. After a couple of minutes Reno perked up and sniffed.

"That smell." He muttered.

Tseng glanced at him,

"What?"

"That kinda spicy, sweet scent. What is it?"

Tseng sniffed experimentally,

"I don't smell anything."

Reno turned toward him and grinned, "Wonder why."

"Huh?"

Reno leaned forward and, startled, Tseng stiffened but all he did was inhale. Satisfied, Reno pulled back,

"Yep, it's you. What cologne do you wear? It's awesome."

Tseng stared at him strange and turned his attention back to the road.

"It's imported from Wutai."

Reno looked out the side window,

"Wutai, huh? You're from Wutai, aren't you?"

Tseng nodded,

"Is it the tilak?"

Reno pulled a pair of goggles from the top of his head that Tseng had only vaguely noticed and shook his head. Some red locks fell into his face without the restraint and Reno batted absently at them.

"Yeah, a bit. You have the accent and the look of a Wutaian. Most Wutai people give off a graceful air, you're no different."

Tseng cast him a surprised glance,

"Have you been to Wutai?"

Reno just waved a hand,

"I was on a business trip with my step-dad. The place was incredible, something like that sticks."

He stared out the window with a far off look and muttered, almost inaudibly to himself,

"Scenery was the only thing good about that trip."

Reno shook his head quickly,

"But I never saw anyone with a tilak like yours."

"It's the mark of an outcast."

"…Oh."

Silence fell as Reno went quiet and stared out the window, lost in his own world. Tseng, himself, was surprised the red head had not questioned him further. He glanced at the young man but his face was turned away. Reno turned his goggles over and over in his hands, almost nervously. Then he sighed and slipped them back on, they did hold back some of his bangs. His head fell back and he closed his eyes with a soft sigh. Tseng slowed for a red light and studied the Adept. Tseng had him pegged at around 20 or 21, after all he had a young face but that didn't necessarily do justice. Aware he was staring he turned back to the road and drove on.

&$#!

The black haired young SOLDIER and his blond friend stepped out of the General's office after giving their account of the search.

"Well Cloud. I think that went rather well."

Cloud snorted,

"Well? He cut our platoon in half!"

"Can you blame him?"

"Of course not, but the General's not happy."

Zack rolled his eyes,

"Sure he is. We completed our mission didn't we? That's all he cares about."

Cloud shook his head,

"We didn't really finish our mission."

"How do you figure?"

"Well, our orders were to bring the Adept in or kill him. We didn't capture him, Tseng did."

Zack paused,

"True. But, we did run him to Tseng, who converted him, which is even better."

Cloud sighed,

"Whatever you say Zack, whatever you say." He said as he walked off.

Zack grinned broadly,

"That's right, whatever I say!" His grin faded,

"HEY!"

Cloud smirked slightly and rolled his eyes.

&$#!

End. Of Chapter One of course.

Chapter Two is not (too) long in following so keep an eye out for it!

Thanks for reading,

FireHawk038


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hidden Power**_

Summery: There is a small race of people hidden away in the world capable of intense power. Some call it magic others simply think of it as hell force, all evil. In truth it is nothing more then a gift from deep within the person. Normal humans will not accept these people, thinking them of a horrible threat to life, so they are hidden deep within the normal ranks, peacefully living their lives out. But such peace died when a force know as Shinra rose to control these people for its own evil intention. The race had then been forced to rise in defense against mass murders and kidnapping to no avail. These people became known as Adepts. Listen to their story as two Adepts find love in a ravaged and dieing world.

Reno/Tseng, Cloud/Zack

A/N: Hah! The Second Chapter is up! I'm afraid it's not much longer then the first one but I'm getting there. I'll say it again, this is ALTERNATE UNIVERSE and YAOI so if you have a problem with any of those then you should turn back right now. Thanks and Enjoy!!

Also MERRY CHRISTMAS FOLKS! Think of this update a small gift for all you internet, Fanfiction readers!

Review Replies:

Nagisha-chan: Ah, thanks. It's a kinda strange idea but neat. Glad to know it's caught your eye. As for updating, heh, sorry, but look at the end of the story.

Elfanyan: Thanks, thanks. Yes there will be more 'plotish goodness' though maybe not in this chapter as much as I would like. Again,  thanks for the complement on my character writing! That gives me a dangerous confidence boost. There is a reason I have a low self-esteem hehe.

Thank you both for the wonderful review and I hope to hear from you again and from many others!

**_Chapter Two:_**

"We're here."

Reno opened his eyes and gazed up at the immense building. At 80 floors high the Shinra Headquarters was the largest structure in the region. As much as he hated to admit it, he was impressed. Reno yawned and sniffed, his short nap had recharged him a bit he didn't feel quite as wiped out.

Tseng looked at him sternly,

"Look, I'm supposed to have you doped on the Serum but I really don't want to have to do that again until we know exactly what it did to you. So, I'll need your word that you won't try to do anything, both because any attempt you make at using your Power in your state could kill you and bring the whole wrath of Shinra down on us."

Reno ran a hand through the back of his hair and sighed,

"That bleak, huh?"

Tseng hid a frown at that but nodded. Finally Reno nodded,

"Okay, fine."

They got out and Tseng led him wordlessly into the building.

---------

As they headed for the elevator, Reno got a good look around.

'Holy shit. I thought this place was impressive from the outside.' They got in and Tseng used a keycard to select the 80th floor.

"As you know the Tower has 80 floors. The 80th floor is where the President and his son, the vice-president, have their offices. The 79th floor is reserved for the Weapons Department, then the Science level and the Military floor is under that. We are Shinra's greatest weapons so we have the 76th floor all to ourselves. Our offices and our apartments are kept on this floor, although there are only two Adepts currently employed to Shinra."

Reno leaned back against the elevator wall,

"Two Adepts? Who's the other one?"

Tseng shook his head,

"You'll meet him."

"What's his Power?"

"He's an Earth Adept."

"No shit? Never met one of those."

He watched the numbers go up and thought of something,

"Hey, so there are just three of us? That's not very good odds to take Shinra on with."

Tseng nodded,

"I know but there are actually Adepts in SOLDIER."

Reno raised an eyebrow,

"Really?"

"Yes, and Shinra doesn't even know it. Take Cloud and Zack for example. Zack is a Wind Adept and Cloud is a Water Adept but the Mako treatments that Shinra makes them go through to make them stronger has forced their Power dormant. Thus the fact that they are Adepts have been hidden from everyone, including themselves, only I can tell."

"So how many are there?"

Tseng shook his head,

"I'm not sure, but there should be enough."

The elevator dinged and slid open.

"Remember Reno," Tseng reminded, "Be respectful."

Reno nodded and followed him down the hall to a secretary's desk. The woman looked up at them and waved at a large door,

"Go right in."

As they walked through the door, Reno inspected it. It was a very thick sturdy door that a group of SOLDIERS probably couldn't break down. Reno smirked to himself, certain he could easily burn it down. His fingers itched to release his power and test it but instead he clenched his fist and fought it down.

The office they had just walked into was huge, to put it mildly. Seated behind a large steel desk was a fat man in a red suit. He must be the president, Reno thought. Standing beside the desk was a young man in an incredibly clean white suit with perfectly combed white blond hair. It was the eyes that caught his attention though. They were a cold, hateful blue that seemed to read his mind when they caught his and he tore his gaze away with a shiver. Tseng stopped a few feet in front of the desk and Reno was only a step behind him. The President looked at them with beady black eyes, empty but for greed, entirely different from the younger blond.

"Tseng, is that him?"

Tseng nodded without a word. The President leaned forward and eyed Reno from head to toe, the red head's skin crawling as he did so. Finally the man sank back into his leather chair, lacing his fingers across his fat stomach,

"Do you have any idea how many SOLDIERS you've cost me?"

Reno shook his head,

"I didn't count, sir."

"57. 33 of which I heard you killed with one blast."

He shrugged, not sure of how to answer.

"And what's your skill, 'Reno'?" The fat man inquired with a sickening undertone, saying his name strangely.

"Fire, sir." Reno managed to sound calm, despite the hairs rising on the back of his neck.

The President nodded,

"That's a lot of Power and I understand you're willing to work for Shinra?"

Reno nodded, "Yes, sir."

"I trust Tseng has explained the details?"

"I have, Sir." Tseng finally replied.

The fat man stared at them for a minute more, before calmly waving a hand at them in dismissal. Tseng sort of bowed and turned to walk away. Reno paused and glanced at the blond, only to find himself caught in the blue stare. Reno shivered and tore himself free, hurrying after Tseng, still feeling that spiteful glare on his back. Once the door closed behind them Reno sighed,

"That was slightly creepy."

Tseng gave him a look,

"You handled that pretty well."

'For being creeped out.' Reno thought before shrugging,

"He didn't do anything to piss me off yet."

Tseng shook his head,

"Well, I'll take you to meet your partner now."

"Partner?"

"Your new, so you'll have a partner until you've settled in."

Reno sighed,

"Great, I wonder how long it will take until I piss him off." He almost sounded as if he was relishing the challenge.

Tseng snorted.

They boarded the elevator and Reno remembered the man who had said not a word through out the entire meeting.

"Tseng? Who was that blond in the room with us?"

"That was Rufus Shinra, the president's son."

Reno raised an eyebrow,

"He looks nothing like the Pres."

Tseng just shook his head,

"You stay away from him Reno, he's still a Shinra and possibly even more dangerous then his father."

"Got it."

They got off the elevator and walked down a hall.

"My office is the last door on the right."

Tseng stopped at a door about three before Tseng's own on the same side,

"This one is yours and right across the hall is your partner's."

Reno made to ask Tseng who it was when the single biggest man he's ever clapped eyes on stepped from the office across the way. The man was bald; a wall of sheer muscle with dark sunglasses that completely hid the man's eyes. He well towered over the rest of them by at least a head. Vocabulary taking a small vacation, Reno just barely stopped himself from gaping like a fish as he stared at the man.

"Rude." Tseng said calmly, "This is Reno, your new partner."

Reno turned his unbelieving stare on Tseng now,

"Are you shitting me?! He's fucking huge!"

"Remember that." The man even spoke like a true giant, with a deep, commanding voice that dared one to mess with him. Reno gathered himself together and ran a hand thorough his hair, sighing,

"Unbe-fucking-lievable."

Tseng smirked,

"Reno, this is Rude, he's the Earth Adept."

"Um, good meeting you…I think."

Rude just nodded.

"Tomorrow will be your first official day." Tseng said, "For now I'll just take you to your apartment. Rude, feel free to take this day off if you're caught up on paperwork."

Rude nodded and Tseng looked at Reno,

"Ready?"

As they once again descended in the elevator Tseng took the opportunity to fill him in a bit more.

"Because we are not very well trusted and are pretty feared we have apartments in the building. We may still go out at anytime off duty so you are not confined to the Tower."

Reno nodded, still thinking about that giant of a man.

"So, what's his story?" Reno asked.

"Who's?"

"Rude's."

Tseng looked at him in disapproval,

"What's yours?"

Reno flinched,

"Okay, I get your point."

There was silence again, then,

"Is his name short for something else? I mean who would name their kid 'Rude'?"

Tseng sighed.

----------

Tseng stopped outside a door and handed Reno a keycard,

"This is your key to all areas you're allowed in, your room, the training area, elevator floors and other such places. If you lose this you will be cut off and have to pay to have a new one created again for you."

Reno took the keycard and examined it,

"Okay, don't lose it. Right."

"Just swipe it through and open the door."

Reno nodded and did as he was told. The door beeped and the red light turned green. He opened the door and led Tseng inside his apartment. It was of a nice size with a generous kitchen, a living room, bathroom and bedroom with a queen sized bed. Reno whistled,

"Cool."

"The kitchen has already been stocked with some basic foods, you'll have to shop for your preferences later."

"Yeah, sure." Reno headed straight for the kitchen and began to search it. Tseng stood in the door way and just watched him. The red head's movements were confident and quick as though he couldn't sit still, and he moved with a surprisingly fluid grace. Once again, he found himself trying to guess Reno's age. He still thought early 20's.

"How old are you, Reno?"

Reno pulled his head out of a cupboard and looked over his shoulder at him.

"Hmmm? 25, why?"

Tseng raised an eyebrow,

"25? You look younger then that."

Reno closed the cupboard and turned around to sit on the counter,

"Yeah, I get that a lot. How old are you?"

"33."

Reno smirked,

"I guess I'm not the only one."

Tseng frowned,

"What?"

"You look younger then 33."

Tseng went silent to take that in. Reno hopped off the counter and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Okay, so now what?"

Tseng cleared his throat,

"If you're done here I'll take you to the training floor. It's reserved special to the Adepts and our 'unique' Powers."

Reno's eyes widened,

"Really? Awesome!"

"Come on then, and always remember to lock your door."

"Okay, okay. Let's just go."

---------

The training room was huge. The floor was nothing more then bare earth due to being a sublevel and underground. Set up was every kind of target and training scenario you could imagine, from water to Reno's own fire. It had a very high domed ceiling perfect for controlling or creating the winds.

"I know you're on the weak side still, but I want you to do one thing for me." Tseng said to Reno.

Reno raised and eyebrow,

"Yeah, what?"

"I want you to summon your sword. I've never seen anyone do that before."

"Oh, this?"

That same burning blade appeared and Reno gripped it loosely, as if he couldn't feel the heat it radiated off as flames licked and danced in a sword like shape.

"Yes, that's quite impressive."

"Really?" Reno asked, looking at it in question, "But it's not difficult to do and it takes almost no energy to maintain."

"Your special, Reno." Tseng said, gesturing for Reno to follow him. Reno let the blade burn out and followed him to an array of different swords hanging on a wall. Tseng stood off to the side and said,

"Pick one, any one."

Reno studied them and picked one most similar to his other hotter blade, it was of medium length and most matched. Reno looked over to Tseng,

"Now what?"

"Rude can transform a regular sword to an Earth Sword similar to your flame one. See if you can do the same, it might make your flame blade more powerful."

Reno shrugged,

"Okay."

He held the blade in front of him with both hands firmly on the hilt. He felt a rush of warmth flow through his hands and flames licked down the sword, possessing it. Reno looked over to Tseng, uncertainly,

"Like this?"

Tseng nodded,

"Very good. How does it feel? Compared to the plain fire one?"

Reno sighed,

"I'm not impressed. It only hindered my Power, it anything it made me weaker. Rude should learn how to summon like I do with Salamandra."

Tseng raised an eyebrow,

"Salamandra?" That's what you named it?"

Reno nodded somewhat stiffly. As he recalled his fire his eyes took on a guarded shadow,

"Yeah, why?"

Tseng shook his head as Reno returned the sword,

"Nothing. I'm going to see if you can't teach Rude to do that tomorrow. For now, I want you to go home and rest, you need to recharge. Tomorrow I'll have the scientist check you out and fix the Serum so it won't hurt you again."

Frowning, Reno nodded slightly,

"Oh, okay. See you later, boss."

The red head ignored his surroundings, turned and left. Tseng stared after him long after he was gone, blinking at the sudden coldness in how he acted.

----------

Humming to himself, Reno headed back to his apartment, earning some very strange looks from the few other Shinra employers who were wandering around trying to look as if they were doing something important. Not really caring or paying attention, he headed straight back for his apartment, mind reeling as his new reality started to sink in. He was now completely at the mercy of Shinra, he was at the heart of all his pain and hate with only one, possibly two, people who could even remotely understand him. Reno absently rubbed the pulse of his left wrist, feeling the scar the marred his smooth skin. Sighing, he suddenly stopped and looked around, mouth open. He had absolutely no idea where he was.

'Good going, Reno.' He scolded himself.

He turned around and wondered if he should try to retrace his steps or just keep going. Odds were that he just took a wrong turn and got a little turned around, no big deal. Shrugging, he kept moving on. Again, he noticed something strange; he hadn't run into another Shinra employee for a while. The halls were as empty as they were mazelike.

'That's…kinda creepy.' He found himself thinking. Picking up the pace a bit he quickly came upon a set of elevators. Looking up at the floor number he gaped. He was on a completely different floor. For some reason he was on the Science Level, floor 77. He should be on the 76th. Reno felt a slight chill,

"How did I end up here?" he muttered. He was dead certain he had not taken any elevator or stairs, but still…

He stepped forward and pushed the down button. After a moment he heard the elevator start to move and stood tapping his foot as he waited. His fingers once more wandered to his wrist, as they often did when he was worried or deep in thought. Reno's head lifted as his ears caught a faint sound. Brows furrowed he took a cautious step away from the elevator, listening intently. Once the sound had grown loud enough for him to register he gasped. It was an animalistic howl, unlike anything he's ever heard. The elevator dinged open behind him and he backed in hurriedly, eyes wide with terror. Hand shaking Reno managed to swipe his card and hit the button for his floor viciously. Even as the door slid close the noise grew louder until it was cut off completely by the moving elevator. Once moving again, Reno sagged back against the wall with a large sigh.

'What the hell? Wait, I don't want to know. It has nothing to do with me and I'm going to keep it that way." As soon as the doors opened again Reno dashed out and raced to reach his apartment.

End of Chapter Two. Coming eventually not too long from now is Chapter Three.

IMPORTANT: Unfortunately, my dad just bought us all Christmas cell phones and in a few days our land line will be cut. His decision, which means that my internet access will be zero for probably close to a month if not more. My dad is not very motivated and it will probably take a while for him to bring himself to do something about it so I'm very sorry. BUT with those few months free I will be writing like MAD and when I get internet back I'll be updating like CRAZY!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS, MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEARS, ALL!!

FireHawk038


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hidden Power**_

Summery: Adepts. People born with a power most could only imagine. Most never live long enough to understand what they are before they're hunted and killed like animals. Normal people don't understand and fear is born because of that. Shinra is the only company strong enough to control these people, with or without their agreement. But all that is coming to an end as the Adepts begin to stand up for what they deserve.

Reno/Tseng, Cloud/Zack

A/N: Wow, umm…I feel REALLY bad about this. It's been like… too long since I've updated this. Sheesh. But it's not my fault I swear it! I don't get access to the internet much anymore…but I'm trying! And no worries 'cause this story seems to be coming to me quickly. I pretty much know what I'm doing with it. Yay! That doesn't happen to me often…

Disclaimer: Ouch. I just realized I never put this on my first Chappie. But its so useless…anyway, I , FireHawk038, do not own FFVII. Yeah. I wish you luck if you do sue, 'cause your gonna need it.

Review Replies:

Nagisha: Yah, I know, sorry. This one is slightly longer but like I said in the end this Chapter holds a lot of info. ;) I Hope you like this one as much as the other two!

DarkAngelWings90: Awww, thank you! And here is the more you requested. Hope you enjoy!!!

Plain Jane is a Vampire: Thank you, thank you very much. I'm glad that you think that!

Thanks again to all of you who reviewed, you have no idea how much I love happy reviews ^.^ And to those of you who read and didn't review...SHAME!! Kidding, but I would appreciate a review. Even a little one.

Chapter Three:

Rude had just finished closing his office door when a fiery blur of red flashed by him, heading toward the Adept apartments. With nothing more then a raised eyebrow, the Earth Adept decided to follow after his new partner. Rude didn't bother to hurry, it just wasn't his style. That, and he already knew where Reno's apartment was since Tseng had pointed it out. By the time he'd reached Reno's door, the redhead had long since entered and locked it. Rude paused, then knocked heavily, although to Reno it probably sounded like someone was pounding on it. He waited, then knocked again. His ears finally caught a yell.

"I'm coming, keep your damn pants on!" After a moment the door opened and the grumpy sounding Adept was staring up at him, mouth slightly open. Reno recovered quickly though and swallowed somewhat nervously, "Umm…hi?"

Rude nodded behind Reno, who immediately stood aside, "Oh, right. Come in."

He closed the door behind his 'guest' and led the man into his kitchen.

"I'd offer you a beer but at the moment I've only got milk and water." Reno told him with a snort of disgust. "First change I get I'll be redoing this place to my standards." The redhead took a seat at the table where a can of cashews and an open bag of chips were in front of him. Reno nodded to a chair across from him, "You can sit, if you want."

Rude did sit and watched as he started eating, which was probably what he had been doing before Rude interrupted him. The cashews were mostly empty and he couldn't tell how many chips the redhead had already eaten. Not the food of champions but Rude supposed he was just trying to get his energy back. He was kinda surprised the guy wasn't already in bed. Reno suddenly offered him the open side of the bag, "Chips?"

Rude shook his head. The pyro shrugged and popped another chip in his own mouth to munch on.

"So." Reno said after a minute, "What brings you to my humble abode."

Rude shrugged, "I'm supposed to show you the ropes tomorrow."

"Yeah?" Crunch, crunch, crunch. "What exactly can 3 Adepts do for Shinra anyway?"

Rude raised an eyebrow, "Whatever Shinra wants."

Reno rolled his eyes, "Well, duh. I mean, what are some of your regular orders?"

Rude wondered if this kid had any idea what he would have to do. He seemed kind of…innocent.

"Assassination, murder, spying, all of Shinra's dirty work."

The Adept did not seem surprised, he just kept munching. When the redhead did speak, he sounded just as indifferent as he looked. "Huh. I guess we'll have to be the ones to put down rebels too, right?"

Rude nodded, taking back his earlier thought. This kid was far from innocent, young but not innocent. It was a shame really…

"Say, how old are you?"

Rude blinked at the bold question, "Why do you want to know?"

"Curiosity, I guess. I mean, I'm 24 and Tseng's 33, so…" Reno shrugged.

Rude stopped to think about that. He'd known Tseng for little over three years and never bothered to ask his age. Now that he thought about it he found himself wondering why.

"29." Rude said without really meaning to.

Reno paused, chip held in one hand, "24, 29, 33. Hmmm…"

In the silence that followed, the only sound was Reno's loud crunching. A couple of minutes into the comfortable lull Reno finished the chips and nuts. He crumbled the bag into a ball and shoved it into the can, placing the lid back over it. He stood up and went over to the trash to drop it in. After, he yawned widely and Rude stood up, deciding to leave so that the redhead could sleep. Reno turned toward him and grinned, "Well, partner. Guess I'll be seeing you in the morning."

Rude nodded and showed himself out as Reno headed for what was probably the bedroom. Rude made sure to lock the door behind him and headed for his own apartment.

----------

By the time the dawn overtook the night, Tseng was already at his office. Folding his jacket over the back of his chair Tseng saw a red light blinking by his answering machine and pressed the 'play' button.

"_Tseng, I'm assigning you and your Adepts to watch over Rufus at a Junon conference. This is important and nothing better happen to him. Make sure the new addition is ready by then, it's next Saturday."_

Tseng stared at the machine in stark disbelief, 'All of us?! I can't get Reno ready in a week, this is too big!" Staring thoughtfully at the wall for a few minutes he sighed, picking up his phone.

"Rude? I know it's early but I need you to get Reno and be in my office in 15." Waiting only long enough to hear the response he hung up and sat down in his chair with another sigh. There was no way he could get a fresh Adept up to Shinra standards in such time. He was puzzled as to why the president would order a novice on a job as important was protecting his only heir to a multi-billion dollar corporation in the first place. It just didn't make any sense. Tseng pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned. He was going to have to push Reno harder then he wanted in order to teach him all the necessary controls required for such a job. It'll be hard but the pyro has potential, so maybe…

He looked up at the clock and closed his eyes, tapping into his power to see where they were. They weren't hard to find, for Reno's power shown like a bright red beacon in his mind. Rude's own dimmer brown was almost completely overshadowed. Tseng frowned, Reno's power was stronger then most and it'll be a problem. Any Sensor worth salt would be able to detect him miles away. That just added another thing Tseng was going to have to teach him, how to hide his power from enemy minds. After all, Shinra's not the only one who's enlisted aid from Adepts. He briefly touched minds with Rude, just enough to see where they were exactly then retreated before he noticed and turned to Reno's mind. He intended to give him just a fleeting tap to test him but before he could he slammed into a mental wall of pure fire. The force of the contact blew him back into his own mind and he sat up in his chair with a gasp.

"How can he do that?" Tseng whispered aloud in shock. The mental counter attack left him reeling and his head aching. It takes normal Adepts years of rigorous training to obtain such powerful defenses. He had never endured such a harsh attack on himself before and he was just stunned. He knew his own defenses were nigh unbreakable but then he'd spent most of his life to reach that height. At the sounds of approaching footsteps, Tseng sat up and took a deep calming breath. There was a knock at his door and he called them in. The door opened, admitting first Rude, then Reno, who seemed oblivious to what happened.

Tseng gestured to the twin chairs in front of his desk, "Sit down you two."

Rude raised an eyebrow but sat, followed by Reno who gave him a strange look he couldn't decipher.

"Okay, I know I've called you in here earlier then I said but we've got a problem." He replayed the president's message and Rude's normally inexpressive face looked surprised. Reno looked between the two and rolled his eyes, "Care to explain the issue here?"

"You're not ready for a mission this important. Three days is not enough time to teach you what you need to know."

Reno looked incredulous, "I'm not ready for babysitting?"

"Trust me, Reno, this is not something to laugh at."

He shrugged, "Okay, so what do we do?"

"Actually, I've got a few questions for you."

"Okay…"

"Have you ever been taught anything on how to control your powers?"

Reno shook his head, "Only what I've taught myself."

Tseng frowned, 'He's had no training and yet that wall…'

The redhead's eyes narrowed on him suddenly, "I'm in perfect control of my powers, thank you."

"I know, that's why I'm confused."

"Huh?" Reno blinked.

"On your way here I tapped your mind just to see how well developed your mental defenses were."

Silence. They were waiting for him to go on. Rude quiet and impassive, Reno defensive and suspicious.

"It burns me to say this but I couldn't do it."

More silence as they both stared at him.

"What do you mean?" Rude asked slowly.

"His defenses were so solid they blasted me back into my own mind…that's never happened to me before."

"So…"

Reno shifted in his seat.

"So, Rude. In some ways, Reno has already surpassed me."

"How can that be possible? You've trained for years."

The spoken of redhead was watching them warily and Tseng nodded. "Yes, but I can't explain it. Maybe quick growth is a trait of being a Fire Adept, after all I've never met one before."

Reno looked at him curiously but not without suspicion, "You haven't?"

Tseng shook his head, "Nope, which probably means they're rare. Maybe the strength of their power is the reason they're so rarely awakened."

Reno cleared his throat nervously, "Okay, so…um…what do we do?"

"All we can do. Try to get you ready in time." Tseng sighed.

He nodded, biting his lip.

"But first, Rude take Reno and help him with stocking his apartment. Then meet me back here, in the meantime I'm going to set you up for an appointment with our scientists, Reno."

Reno frowned and Rude nodded, "Yes, sir."

They both stood and moved toward the door, Rude going out first. Reno lingered in the doorway, absently rubbing his wrist.

"Reno?"

The redhead glanced at him then away, quiet. Finally he looked back, grinning, "Ah, it's nothing. See you!"

Reno then backed out of the door, closing it quickly.

Tseng frowned, 'What's bothering him?

--------

Rude led Reno right from the office down to a sublevel parking lot. He had a nice blue car parked at a spot with a reserved sign.

"So, how long have you two been working for Shinra?" Reno asked once they were settled in.

"Three years." He replied, starting the car.

"That long, huh? Were you recruited by Tseng too?"

Rude nodded.

"No kidding. Do you know how long he's had to put up with this?"

He shook his head and Reno frowned, "Huh? You don't? You've known the guy for three years and don't know anything about him?"

Rude sighed, "Look, Reno. It's not any of my business or, for that matter, is it any of yours. If Tseng wanted us to know anything about him he'd tell us."

Silence fell at that and Reno looked out his window, 'That's not true at all.' He thought but left it alone. It was too early to be causing problems.

"So where exactly are we going?"

"Well, your apartment needs more food and such, right? So first a store and then I'm assuming you're going to want to stop at a liquor store."

Reno grinned, "Yeah, awesome. But you know I don't have any money."

"Don't worry about it, we're paying this time. It should hold you over until you get your first paycheck." Rude shrugged.

Reno blinked in surprise, "Oh, thanks."

Rude just nodded. The rest of the ride passed in somewhat comfortable silence, it was obvious Rude didn't talk much to begin with and Reno didn't feel like talking to himself. Finally, Rude parked outside a small grocery and once inside Reno looked around curiously as Rude grabbed a cart. He raised an eyebrow when Rude rolled it over but said nothing. Rude pushed it at him and gestured for him to take the lead. With a shrug he started down an isle, throwing whatever caught his eye into the cart, but sometimes he'd fiddle with something for a moment before putting it back and moving on. Whenever that happened Rude would grab the thing and stuff it in the cart when he wasn't looking. Only 15 minutes later Reno headed for the checkout stations and Rude stopped him, "You're done?"

Reno looked at the half filled cart and nodded, "I think so, why?"

"Your paid every two weeks, you sure this can last that long?"

As he thought, his eyes scanned the contents then nodded again, "Yep."

Rude frowned doubtfully and he laughed, "It's okay. I've lived a lot longer then two weeks with a hell of a lot less then this."

At that Rude paused to really look at his partner. What he first passed off as a naturally thin he now saw as an actual underweight. The redhead was really nothing more then lean muscle, there was not a touch of fat on him. Aware of the scrutiny even through the sunglasses, Reno fidgeted nervously and turned away to push the cart into a lane. Rude sighed but helped him unload and handed over the gil with it was totaled up. As he had suspected, it was less then both him and Tseng had expected. Rude scooped up almost all the bags and Reno followed him out of the store. They heaped the bags into the backseats and then buckled themselves into the front seats.

A half hour later found the two of them in a liquor store with Rude standing over Reno, an exasperated look on his face. Reno was crouched in front of a shelf, a bottle in each hand that he studied carefully. Sitting by his left foot were three good sized bottles.

"It took you less then 15 minutes to get two weeks of food, yet it's taking 30 just to pick out a few bottles of booze?"

Reno looked up at him and shrugged, "What can I say? Getting the right liquor is something you can't rush." He put one bottle back then grabbed the other three and stood up. Rude just shook his head in bewilderment. They turned to head over to the counter when a familiar voiced called them. Pausing, both of them turned. Approaching was a broadly grinning Zack, closely followed by Cloud.

"Wow, Rude. I never thought I'd find you here."

Rude shrugged and Reno smiled, "Actually, he brought me."

Zack looked at the bottles in his arms and raised an eyebrow, "Planning a party?"

"Nope. This is all for me."

Zack laughed, "I don't blame you. So, really, how are you adjusting?"

Reno shrugged one shoulder, "I don't know. I haven't done anything yet. We're just taking care of the basics today."

"Oh, yep, the boring stuff. What'd you get?" Zack leaned forward to peer at the bottles and Reno turned them for him to see.

"Wow, great taste. Hey, let me show you this one kind, it's to die for!"

Still gushing, Zack dragged him around a corner and Rude and Cloud were left to roll their eyes.

Zach led Reno all around the store, pointing out delicacies and chatting.

"Man am I glad to meet you! I mean Tseng and Rude are great but they're like Cloud, no sense of humor or fun. And it's like they're allergic to talking! I mean would it kill them to open up a bit? Geeze…"

Reno couldn't help but laugh at it all, even as he agreed completely.

"But seriously, Rude or Tseng won't tell me anything about being an Adept working with Shinra."

"What do you mean?"

"I want to know what it's like."

Reno frowned, "As an Adept or a slave under Shinra?"

Zack hesitated, "Well…um…both, I guess."

"I'm not the best person to ask about either of those. For me, my powers have always been a curse." He said with a shrug.

"I'm sorry." Zack sounded genuine enough so Reno just waved a hand, "Its fine. Not your fault."

They stood in a slightly awkward silence until Zack clapped his hands, "So, where are you two headed from here?"

"Well, back to the Tower to meet up with Tseng."

"Oh…" They started back to where Rude and Cloud were left, "I'd better not hold you up much longer then."

Reno shook his head, "It's not a problem, I don't mind talking to you."

"Well thanks, same here." Zack grinned.

They finally met back with the other two and found them exactly as they had been left.

"We need to go, now, Reno."

He nodded, "I know Rude, I'm ready."

"Sorry about holding you up." Zack said to Rude, who sighed. "Don't worry about it, you and him are from the same batch of mako."

"You think so?" They chimed together innocently, grinning.

Rude sighed again and Cloud rolled his eyes.

"Let's go."

"Alright." Reno first shook Zack's hand and nodded at Cloud, "Great seeing you again."

Zack nodded, "Yeah, see you!"

Once back outside Reno hummed thoughtfully, "Hey, Rude?"

Rude grunted.

"Tseng told me those two are Adepts, right? So, why hasn't he told them yet?"

Rude shrugged, "Why would he?"

"Umm…more to our cause?"

Rude started the car but let it idle, "They're not like us, Reno."

"What do you mean?"

He sighed, "let me put it to you this way. How old were you when your powers manifested?"

"I was 14, why?"

Rude looked at him in surprise, "Really? Strange, for most people that doesn't happen until they turn 19 or 20."

"I know." Reno said tensely, "What does this have to do with Zack and Cloud?"

"Well, it's simple. They both joined SOLDIER when they turned 18, Zack's 25 and Cloud's 24. So, they joined of their own will. Unlike us, they don't have a problem with Shinra."

"But…"

"Listen. They wouldn't want us to tell them, would you? They think they're normal and they've got a high ranking job. Who are we to ruin that for them?"

"I guess…but it kinda makes the life they're living a lie, doesn't it?"

Rude shrugged, "It may be a lie but it's a better life. Are you telling me if you were in their place that you'd want to know?"

Reno sighed, "Okay, you're right. Now can we go?"

Rude nodded and they headed back to the Tower.

------

Meanwhile, Tseng left shortly after them to head down to the Research and Development level but he was stopped by a dark haired, goateed man.

"Good day, Reeve."

"Hello, Tseng. Where are you headed?"

"Down to the Science level. There's a problem with the Serum."

Reeve raised an eyebrow, "Really? What's the matter with it?"

"I had to use it on the new recruit and when it wore off there was a discharge in his power that nearly killed him." Tseng sighed.

"No kidding? The new Fire Adept?"

Tseng nodded.

"That's strange. Well, bring him around to see me sometime so we can meet."

"Sure. I bet he'll like that."

Reeve smiled, "Well thanks, I won't hold you up any longer."

"Right, we'll stop by later." Tseng told him with a friendly nod and wave. They parted and he opened the door to the stairway between floors 76 and 78. To be completely honest, he hated elevators. He didn't trust them and he hated how they made his stomach lurch. Though, being who he is, he'd never admit to it. So, whenever he can Tseng takes the stairs, besides he enjoys the exercise and it gives him some time to think. Like now, he's found himself with thoughts centered toward that redheaded fire brand. Tseng never mentioned it but he had noticed Reno's strange reaction toward anything scientist related. It was puzzling and at the same time it had him worried. If Reno is afraid of scientists then he's unsure how the other will be able to handle meeting Hojo. Let's face it, the guy's creepy even to a person who doesn't know any better let alone someone who's scared enough as it is. Needless to say, he wasn't too comfortable with what he had to do.

Tseng finally reached door 78 and pushed it open to step into an empty hall. As he made his way swiftly down the halls he noticed several doors with unusual keycard locks. He stopped briefly to study them but made sure to keep moving and never stay still very long. Those doors must be hiding something very important to require such an intricate locking mechanism. From what he could see they needed a keycard, number code, thumb scan and even a retina scan to allow entrance.

'What are you hiding you slimy bastard?' he wondered as he paused in front of a door marked _Lab Station 696_, and no the irony was not lost on him. He pressed a button beside the door and waited. Moments later it slid open with a whoosh and he hesitantly entered. The room beyond was brightly lit and consisted of cold steel table tops and several large, humming computers. The man he had come to see stood up from such an instrument and started toward him. "Ah, Tseng, pleasant surprise!"

"Good day, Doctor." He doubted it was truly a surprise. It was well known that Hojo was extremely paranoid, especially when it came to experiments and the safety of his work. There were more cameras and stronger security here then on the President's level.

"To what do I owe this visit? Is something the matter?"

Tseng nodded, "Yes, actually. Your Serum is flawed, I regretfully inform."

Hojo's eyes flashed, "Really? In what way?"

"You've heard of the new Fire Adept."

"Of course."

"Yes, well, he was administered the Serum and when his power returned it spiked and nearly destroyed him. Granted his power levels were nearly depleted but the Serum has never reacted that way before, correct?"

"Yes." The doctor grinned joyfully, "Incredible. You're saying it boosted his power when he had none left?"

Tseng didn't like that question, or the way Hojo said it. "Yes, but it also almost killed him. You need to fix that, Doctor."

Hojo nodded, "Of course, not a thing to it. But I will need to test the subject to learn why he reacted differently."

"I know, I've scheduled him to come down in a few hours."

"Ah, good, good. Yes, see you then." The man turned away, mumbling to himself and rubbing his hands eagerly. Tseng watched him narrowly and carefully retreated. His worry suddenly had cause to grow. Hojo seemed to have thought of something and Tseng would bet his entire month's wage that it had nothing to do with fixing the Serum. He would have to watch the scientist carefully, there was no way he was up to anything good and Tseng didn't like it one bit.

His return to the office was just in time to catch another call from the President. What he heard caused a look of surprise and pain to cross his face but Tseng bowed his head and agreed. He slowly hung up the phone and sat down heavily in his chair.

"Oh, no."

--------

Rude stared one last time at the newly stocked shelves of Reno's cupboards and shook his head. He closed the door and turned to find Reno watching him with a bemused half smile.

"You're sure this can hold you over for two weeks?" he asked again.

"Yep. Besides, if I had a lot of food I wouldn't know what to do with it all."

Rude could only shake his head again and sigh. Reno turned away to open the refrigerator.

"Do you smoke?" His sudden question was muffled since his head was in the fridge.

"No."

Reno popped back out with an energy drink and closed the door. "Did you ever?"

"Once."

The can hissed as the seal broke, "Why did you stop?"

"It's unhealthy."

Reno stared at him over the top of the can, his eyes unreadable and then he blinked. "Ah, true. Anyway, don't we need to be getting back to Tseng's office?"

Rude nodded, "Yes, but not right away. First he wanted me to get you a weapon."

"A weapon? What do we need a weapon for? We _are_ weapons."

"Yeah, right up until we have no power."

Reno thought about that, "Okay, a weapon. What kind of weapon are we talking about?"

Rude smirked.

------

"Holy Shit." Reno's eyes grew wide as saucers. They were standing inside a vault filled with every kind of weapon imaginable, and even some that weren't. He wandered through the isles in an amazed daze. He looked at Rude, "I get to pick?"

"Only one."

It didn't take as long as Rude had thought for him to make his choice. Reno soon came trotting back with a slender silver rod. Rude examined it and nodded, "It's called an Electro-Magnetic Rod, EMR for short." He handed it back and raised an eyebrow, "Why this one?"

Reno shrugged, "Well, I've got all the firepower I need and I want something simple. Don't get me wrong the swords and nunchaku and chakrams were cool and all but not my thing."

"What about guns?"

"Don't like 'em."

Rude blinked and shrugged, "Okay, we'll sign it out and get up to meet Tseng then."

Reno followed him out of the vault to a man sitting behind a small table outside the door with a clipboard of papers. He pushed the board and a pen to Reno and pointed out where he needed to fill out and where to sign.

_Item number…check. Division name…check. Employee name and number…che…_

Reno blinked and looked at Rude, "Hey, I never got a number?"

"You'd be the forth Adept to work for Shinra, so your number 4."

"Fourth?" Reno frowned, "But there are only three of us."

Rude shook his head, "Apparently there was another Adept who worked for Shinra, I think he was the first one."

"So, Tseng's second. Oh, I didn't know that. Did Tseng work with this guy?"

Rude shrugged and Reno rolled his eyes. He signed his name and handed the papers back to the guy who flipped through them and then waved him away, "Okay, you're done."

Reno threaded the leather thong of his new weapon through his belt loop and looked to Rude, "We ready?"

--------

When they knocked on Tseng's door and stepped inside Reno immediately sensed that something was wrong, but Tseng sat as calmly as ever and motioned for them to sit.

"How did it go?"

"Well, and Reno picked the EMR as his weapon."

"That's good, he'll need it."

Reno blinked and Rude frowned, "Sir?"

Tseng laced his fingers together and placed them on his desk, "I got another call from the President."

Rude stiffened and Reno glanced at him suspiciously. "He doesn't expect us to…"

"Yes. He wants us to exterminate a suspected anti-Shinra activist."

Reno frowned in mute shock. Tseng looked at him and smiled grimly. "You're about to get a crash course in what we do."

Reno nodded, "You said suspected. He doesn't have proof?"

Tseng shoo his head, "He doesn't need it."

"Right." He noticed how they were looking at him and raised an eyebrow, "What? Were you expecting me to freak out?"

Their silence answered for them and Reno rolled his eyes, "Come on, I knew this wouldn't be fun and I already knew it would mean murder, I'm prepared."

Tseng looked at him narrowly, "You're prepared to kill innocent people?"

"Yes." Reno sighed, "I know that sounds cold but I don't care. I'm human enough to hate the thought but determined enough to do what it takes to destroy Shinra."

His surprise made Tseng acutely aware of how little he knew about the person in front of him. He had thought Reno was a little naïve but he now saw that wasn't what he'd been seeing. It wasn't naivety but rather acceptance, Reno knew far more then it seemed he let on.

"That's the attitude we need. It'll be dirty but necessary."

Rude and Reno nodded.

"Okay," Tseng stood up, "Rude, I need you to get things ready while I take Reno down to Hojo."

He nodded and left to do as commanded. Reno stayed where he was, "Hojo?" he asked calmly.

"Our lead researcher and scientist, he's the one who made the Serum. I'm hoping he can fix it."

"That Serum is a real pain in the ass." Reno said off handedly.

Tseng had to smile slightly, "Yes, it is."

"Did they have it before you joined with Shinra?"

"Yes."

"So, Hojo must have used the Adept who came before you to test it on."

Tseng stared at him expressionlessly, "Rude told you."

"Only that there was someone else he didn't know too much about." Reno's grin was humorless.

"Rude wasn't here yet." Tseng said with a shrug.

"But you were." He whispered softly.

Tseng chose not to hear that and started toward the door, "Come on, we need to meet with Hojo."

Reno followed without hesitation and kept his thoughts to himself right up until they reached the scientist's lab. Then he stopped and grabbed Tseng's sleeve, "Who was he?"

Tseng looked down at him in surprise then narrowed his eyes, "Why do you want to know?"

He flinched and hesitated, glancing away, "I…" the door slid open and Reno quickly released him and stepped back.

Hojo stood in the doorway, "Well, it's about time you brought him, Tseng."

"My apologies, but we must make this as quick as possible, the President has a mission ready for us."

"Oh, it'll take no time at all, now bring him in." Hojo disappeared through the door and Tseng looked at Reno. "You ready?"

The redhead rubbed at his wrist and nodded silently. Seeing that he wasn't willing to enter first, Tseng led them in.

Hojo was waiting for them at a table with an assortment of objects on a tray next to him. "Sit up here and I'll run a few tests." He said, gesturing impatiently.

Reno looked at Tseng, who nodded, and slowly approached the table. He hopped onto the table and watched the doctor warily as he sifted through instruments. Hojo pulled out an empty syringe and tourniquet and grabbed Reno's left arm, turning it over and straightening it. "First, a blood sample." Hojo tied the tourniquet above his elbow with quick precise movements and inserted the needle easily. Reno flinched and looked away but only for a moment before he was again watching the other. But Tseng was watching too and nothing seemed to be amiss besides the usual tests until Hojo requested some sort of scan of Reno's brain. The look of stark terror on Reno's face made him interrupt, "We don't have time for that! Can you find the fix with what you have?"

Hojo glared sullenly but nodded, "Yes, I should be able to adjust the Serum now."

"Okay. Then we're done here, thank you, Doctor." He pulled Reno off the table and quickly out of the room. He didn't let go until the door closed and locked behind them and they were alone in the hall.

"Thank you." Reno said after a minute of staring at each other.

"I knew he was up to something and that was uncalled for. With you being the first Fire Adept that Shinra's got their hands on he would probably want to dissect you if anyone gave him the chance."

Reno shivered and looked back at the door.

"Come on." Tseng said, "We'll go back to wait for Rude."

He nodded and followed quietly, resigned. Tseng thought again of his persistence at knowing the first Adept and hesitated before saying, "What were you going to say, before Hojo interrupted earlier."

At the silence that continued at the question, he looked back at Reno, who's head was bowed as he walked.

"I was 16." He said finally, quietly, as they kept walking. "It was two years after my power awoke and I was on the run from Shinra. Just like yesterday, I was surrounded and had no where to go. But I had already decided that I would force them to kill me before being taken in. In all honesty I was hoping they would, rooting for it actually. I was so sick of running for so long that I just gave up. Kinda funny, how it all worked, you know." He looked up at Tseng then, eyes somber but smiling. "He came for me then as you did yesterday. Anyway, this guy showed up out of nowhere, right before the SOLDIERS arrived and helped me escape. He never told me his name but I know he was an Adept and that was all that mattered. He taught me a lot that day."

"You said you were never trained." Tseng broke in, irritated at the lie.

Reno blinked in confusion for a moment then it cleared, "Oh, I haven't. That's not what I meant. The only thing he taught me in regards to my power was how to draw on Salamandra. He called it the 'strength of my soul', in fact he was the one who named it. But he taught me other stuff, things I had forgotten in all that running away. I guess the easiest way to put it is that he made me human again and not just a hunted animal."

Tseng stopped and Reno did too. The redhead shifted his weight before continuing.

"Then, before he left me on my own again, he said something. He said, _'I work for Shinra, and one day you will to but you'll work by choice because the moment will be right for the fall of an empire.'_ The strange part is that I instantly believed him too, so I asked how I'd know and he said," Reno closed his eyes to remember, "_When you find yourself at loss and falling, hope will catch you and you will know."_

They were quiet and Reno opened his eyes, "He probably didn't know, or maybe he did, but his words were what kept me going for the eight years that followed, well almost. Eight years is a long time to be alone and when Shinra did finally get wind of me again I had reached that point he'd mentioned. When you came to convince me to join Shinra I nearly said no just to die, then everything he said came back as if I could hear him again and I knew that he'd been right. So, you wanted to know why I had to know. Well, it's because, besides you, he's the only person I owe my life to."

Tseng looked at him steadily then sighed, "His name was Verdot, and he was an Adept, yes, a very special one. His powers were literally one of a kind, a mix between, precognition, telepathy and telekinesis."

Reno stared at the far wall absently, "What happened?"

"He was killed, in a fire fight between Shinra troops and rebel gunman. A stray bullet."

"Of all the ways to go…" Reno mumbled to himself.

"Do you know what he said to me, as he lay there in the street dying?"

Reno looked at him then, eyes holding a deep sadness, "_When you fall, there will always be someone to catch you, even if you don't know they are there._" They both said. Tseng looked at him in shock, "How did you?"

Reno blinked, just as surprised, "I don't know, it just came."

They stared at each other for a long moment before Tseng shook his head, "Damn. You keep throwing surprise after surprise at me."

Reno grinned, and the atmosphere around them lightened, "Well, at least you can't call me boring."

Tseng chuckled and turned away, "Come on then. Rude's waiting."

He nodded and followed the other man back to his office where Rude stood outside the door, straight backed and waiting.

"Is everything ready?"

"Yes, sir."

"Alright then." Tseng looked at Reno, "Are you ready?"

"Yes."

Tseng studied him closely, "I hope so."

-------

A/N: DUN DUN DUN. I love the scene that comes next but I think I should stop this here. After all, I crammed a lot of info in this one Chappie. Trust me I'd love to make it longer, but stopping it here feels right sooo… Review? Please? Let me know how you think I'm doing. I love hearing from you guys, although your all probably pissed……………


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hidden Power**_

Summery: Adepts. People born with a power most could only imagine. Most never live long enough to understand what they are before they're hunted and killed like animals. Normal people don't understand and fear is born because of that. Shinra is the only company strong enough to control these people, with or without their agreement. But all that is coming to an end as the Adepts begin to stand up for what they deserve.

Reno/Tseng

A/N: Hm, more of Reno's dark personality comes out in this. How fun ;)

Also, when you come to the * look at the author's note at the end of this chapter and it'll explain between the lines.

Disclaimer: I foresee this getting very annoying. I do not own anything, let alone FFVII.

No reviews? That hurts. Come on people, where are you? Please review me? I know it's been a while but don't give up on me now!!

Chapter Four:

The small interrogation room they led him into was really nothing more then a jail cell, a cold, concrete, windowless cell. There was a single chair at the center and a ragged man was chained to it. The door Rude held open was three inches of solid steel and set into that steel was an eye level Plexiglas peephole. Reno trailed his fingers over the door as he passed though it and frowned slightly, however, Tseng was waiting behind him so he did not linger. Tseng walked calmly to stand in front of the man while Rude stood guard at the door.

"SOLDIER picked him up outside a dance club trying to recruit people against Shinra." Tseng looked at Reno out the corner of his eye, "Or so we were told."

The man's eyes flashed, "I did no such thing!"

Tseng ignored him and continued, "We need to figure out what he knows."

"I don't know anything!"

Reno blinked, "I thought we were just gonna kill 'em?"

The man whimpered, his eyes going wide.

"That too, but first we need information." Tseng replied, shrugging.

"I don't know anything to tell!"

Tseng looked at Reno, his eyes cold. "Find out what he knows."

"Yes, sir."

Nodding, he went to stand over next to Rude, both watching him impassionedly. Reno turned back to the man, studying him narrowly. He was middle aged, balding, slightly fat but not all the way and…Reno raised an eyebrow, married. He allowed a small smirk to cross his face before tugging on a red bang of hair. "So, what's your name?"

"Takuya Moku." He replied slowly, wary.

"And how old are you?"

Suspicious eyes narrowed on him, "42."

"Hmmm." Reno began walking slowly around his chair, the man straining to keep him in his view. He remained quiet, pretending to mull something over. Finally he stopped pacing directly behind the chair and crouched down. Takuya stiffened and squeaked as he felt Reno reach into his back pocket. He withdrew a folded square of leather and stood, flipping the wallet open. Grinning, he pocketed the man's money and pulled out a license, eyeing the picture and name. Having confirmed that the subject was being truthful he slid the license back in and found a picture. Curious, he pulled it out and blinked. Reno walked back into his victim's sight line and smirked darkly. "You've got a beautiful wife, and is that your son?"

As if a switch had been flicked the man paled and began sweating furiously but said nothing.

"Huh." Reno hummed thoughtfully and looked back over his shoulder coyly at Tseng, "Do you think we should go pay these _kind_ folks a visit?"

A frigid smirk curled the Wutain's lips. "Sure."

"No! Please, leave my family alone! I beg you!"

Reno looked back at the terrified man and blinked, cocking his head to one side innocently, "But you won't talk. Maybe they'll be more willing."

"I'll talk, I'll tell you anything you want to know."

"Oh." He smiled, pleased. "But you _do_ know we'll have to kill you either way?"

The man turned his head and spat, "Of course. I knew that the moment I was caught. I just don't want my family dragged into this."

Reno found that last statement interesting and he had to ask. "If you cared so much for your family's safety then why did you involve yourself in something that could potentially harm them?"

"Because Shinra," The man sounded as if he were choking on the name, "is the cockroach of the modern world." His eyes stared into Reno's own green ones, "And you know it."

He felt a flash of guilt then, but shoved it down before it could show and moved on with a question. "Since you seem to know oh so much, why don't you tell me how exactly you and your little friends plan on killing this particular bug?"

Takuya smirked, "Oh, the boss knows a lot about Shinra, more then enough to provide us with its weaknesses."

"And who is your boss?"

"Dunno his real name, he wears a mask all the time and calls himself Rallis." He shrugged.

"How can you trust him if you don't know who he is?"

"Because what he does speaks louder then who he is."

Again, Reno thought that interesting and filled it away for later. "So, what weakness does your man think he knows?"

"The Mako reactors are controlled by Shinra and to attack those would be a major blow to Shinra."

He wasn't so sure. Reno knew what the reactors were of course but he didn't see how taking them out would strike a power such as Shinra very badly. Regardless, he pushed on. "And how do you plan on attacking the reactors?"

The man shrugged, "We haven't gotten to that part yet."

Reno smirked. _More like they haven't told him at this point in the game._ "What do you people call yourselves?"

"Avalanche."

He blinked and snickered, "Avalanche? Why can't revolutionists ever come up with any creative names?"

"What would you know!?" the man glowered, not quite pouting.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you." But Reno's grin was contrary and Takuya huffed.

"Reno."

Startled, he snapped his head over to Tseng, he'd forgotten that the raven was there. "Keep it going, we do have a schedule to keep here."

"Yes, sir." He mumbled. He turned back to the man and racked his brain for any more pertinent questions. "How many followers do you think you have?"

"I'm not sure, exactly, but it's far more then you think."

Reno had to bite back a sharp retort and kept going. "Where is your base? If you have one."

The man snarled, "Of course we have a base…I've just…never been there myself."

When a red, doubtful eyebrow rose he hastened on. "Rallis only allows his most trusted advisors access to the base. No one else even knows where it is, for reasons I'm sure you can imagine."

Reno nodded absently. "Is that enough?"

Takuya frowned, not understanding, until Tseng stepped up next to Reno. "Yes, we've got plenty of information." He said, hand slipping beneath his coat.

"H hey now." The man's eyes locked on the gun that appeared, "You'll leave my family alone, right? You said…"

For a reason he couldn't fathom, Reno smiled and said, "I never said that."

The terrorist's gaze snapped over to him, horrified. "But!"

Tseng didn't let him finish, leveling the gun to his head and pulling the trigger. The loud crack echoed in the small room and Reno flinched ever so slightly. He looked down at the picture clenched tightly in his fist and wondered why he said that when he never intended to involve the family in the first place. _Maybe you enjoyed that more then you should have, Reno._ Suddenly angry at himself he lit the picture and let it burn in his hand. In seconds he held only ashes and then let them fall though his fingers to drift to the floor.

Tseng, who was watching him, turned to Rude. "Take care of the body."

Rude nodded and waited for him to drag Reno out before setting to his task.

"What's he doing with him?" Reno questioned as Tseng led him down the hall.

"Rude will take the body and throw it into the Sector 4 sewers."

"Why?"

"He lived in Sector 4, this way someone can find him and give him over to the family to do as they wish with him."

"Oh."

"Reno. You did good."

The red head blinked and looked at him. "Huh?"

"I mean with the interrogation. You recognized how he would be unwilling to talk no matter what we did to him so you struck at where he was weakest. It was a brilliant move and we learned much from it." Tseng said approvingly.

Reno rubbed at the back of his neck, "I took a gamble, it could have backfired but just happened to work out. And some of what we learned worries me."

"I know what you mean. This organization seems to be larger then even I ever expected. They could actually pose a problem."

Reno nodded in agreement, "Right, but what makes them think that attacking the reactors will be harmful to Shinra?"

"The reactors are a major source of Shinra's money. Millions are spent in their construction and they are possibly the most heavily guarded aspects of Shinra. By owning the only source of power Shinra practically owns the world." Tseng explained.

"So, taking them out would not only be a waste of a ton of money but also weaken Shinra's influence on the world."

"Yes, but I wish I knew how they plan on doing it and just how much this Rallis knows."

"I want to know who he is." Reno said thoughtfully, "And how he knows as much as he says he does."

Tseng nodded and stopped walking, "I need to go report this to the President, why don't you go wait in my office for either me or Rude to return?"

"Sure." But Reno frowned slightly as Tseng nodded again and turned to go the opposite direction. Standing alone in the hall, he sighed. "Now I just have to figure out where Tseng's office is."

-------

Reno had surprised him yet again. He had not expected the young Adept to fall into the ruthless interrogator role so easily, he showed brilliant promise and to be honest that saddened Tseng. That such a young person has to dirty his soul this way made him feel disgusted with himself. But there was nothing he could do about it, this was the way the world works and has ever since Shinra rose to the status which it has. It was sad, yes, but it would only get worse before it got better and Tseng could only hope that Reno would manage it with his soul still intact at the end. _I'm sorry, Reno, for dragging you into this._

Tseng stopped outside the President's doors. _How many more lives have to be destroyed?_ Once the secretary gave the word, he opened the doors and disappeared inside.

------

"Finally." Reno groaned as he stepped inside Tseng's office. It had taken him a good fifteen minutes simply to find an elevator to get to the Adept level and another ten just to get here. Standing there, he took a good look at this one windowed room. Tseng's desk was a heavy wooden thing, nothing special, with a large black leather swivel chair behind it. In front of it sat the two smaller, simple chairs he and Rude had used. In one corner of the office there was a potted plant that looked too healthy to be real and he wandered over to it, curious. Fingering one of the glossy green leaves he was surprised to see that it wasn't plastic after all. The leaf felt slightly oily and he sniffed his fingers before shrugging and wiping them on his jeans.

_They say you can tell a lot about a person based on their rooms._ Reno thought, giving it another once over. _But if this one is anything to go on then Tseng must be one boring man, or maybe a neat freak. Yeah, I can see that. I don't get the feeling there's anything boring about him…or normal._

Seeing nothing else of interest Reno smirked and plopped down in Tseng's chair, winching as he jarred his elbow. He gently rubbed the mark left behind from the earlier blood sample and frowned thoughtfully. That Hojo guy was one creepy character, looking at him as if he were a particularly juicy piece of sirloin. He had a livid hatred of scientist in general but that dude was like super weird and as far as he was concerned never seeing him again would be too soon. Before he could farther dwell on the man, there was a knock at Tseng's door and Reno jumped out of the chair as if scalded.

"Uh, come in?" he called uncertainly.

The door opened and a man with hair as dark as Tseng's entered and promptly stopped, "My apologies, I thought Tseng was in."

"Ummm, he should be back anytime." Reno said warily, eyeing the goateed man. He didn't seem dangerous but…

"Oh, forgive me, we haven't met yet have we? I am Reeve, led developer for energy and conservations technologies. I've known Tseng for several years now."

"Oh." Reno blinked in surprise, "He hasn't mentioned you. I'm Reno."

The man smiled easily, "Nice to meet you. I'm not surprised he hasn't said anything about me, he's had a lot going on since you came. Listen, would you mind if I waited here for him?"

Reno faltered, "I…guess not."

Reeve smiled and nodded before sitting in one of the two smaller chairs and set one ankle on his opposite knee. "Tseng told me you dabble in the fire arts?"

That sounded questioning rather then factual so he nodded. "Yeah."

"From what I understand people with that particular power are rare."

Reno shrugged, "I wouldn't know. That's what Tseng said though."

"Is he the first other Adept you've met?"

"Yes." * These questions were starting to make him uncomfortable. Reeve must have realized this because he grinned somewhat sheepishly. "Ah, I'm sorry. I'm prying too much."

Surprised, Reno shook his head. "No. That's alright. I guess you would be interested since I'm 'rare' and all."

"That's part of the reason, but it still doesn't give me the right to press you."

"Don't worry about it, in fact, go ahead. Ask me your questions but I probably don't know as much as you do already."

Now it was Reeve's turn to look surprised, "Are you sure? I don't wish to pry."

"Pry? It's fine. Ask."

"Okay, thank you. So, how old are you, Reno?"

"24."

"How old were you when your powers came out?"

"14."

Reeve blinked. "That's awfully early."

"Yeah, I know."

"I wonder why that happened."

"Beats me." He replied with a dismissive shrug.

They continued on for several minutes and Reno found himself beginning to relax. Reeve kept his questions simple and non-invasive, of which he was glad.

"Do you know what level your power is?"

"Level?" he frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Well, not all Adepts are equally powerful, even those of the same power kind. Some are naturally stronger and others weaker." Reeve explained, hands moving in the air.

"Oh. No, I don't know. How do I tell?"

The man's eyes lit up, "You can't but I have a machine that can measure it for you. Would you like to give it a try?"

Reno's eyes narrowed, "Does it involve needles?"

"No, no needles."

"Good. I'll see what Tseng thinks about it."

Reeve seemed content with that answer and nodded. As if his name had summoned him, the door opened and Tseng strolled in, stopping to stare at them in surprise. "Reeve…"

The man stood up smoothly, "Forgive me for not calling first but I hoped to speak with you."

Tseng shook his head. "It's fine. At least you've had a chance to meet Reno now."

"Yes, we've had a rather enjoyable discussion while waiting for you."

Tseng looked at Reno, who seemed relaxed enough and nodded, pleased. "What was it you wished to talk with me about?"

"Reno, actually."

The red head blinked in surprise.

"He's answered most of my questions himself and I'm glad to have met him. I was going to ask you to introduce us but it seems fate helped it happen."

"Funny how it works sometimes, huh?"

Reeve grinned. "And I was just offering Reno here the use of my new machine to test his power."

"Oh." Tseng looked over at Reno thoughtfully. "That is a good idea. I'd forgotten you're little gadget."

"Gadget?! Oh, no. A gadget would classify something as simple as a single function watch and I'll have you know that my invention is far more complex then you could possibly understand!"

"Reeve, relax. I was joking."

The Head of Technologies glared and Reno had to smile. It was clear that the two of them really were good friends. Tseng looked at hi and raised one eyebrow, "What do you think? Do you want to test your power?"

"Sure. I never would have thought there could be a machine capable of measuring powers."

"That's why it was created by Reeve. No one else could have pulled it off."

The spoken of man grinned proudly and shrugged, "Do you want to do it now, or later?"

Tseng looked at his watch. "I think we have plenty of time before Rude returns. Let's check it out."

-------

They were led down to Reeve's work shop and Reno couldn't help his feelings of nervous anticipation. He generally didn't like tests of any kind but this one sounded interesting. They were taken through a large room filled with various machines of unclear origins and different colored lights blinked from these contraptions in a seemingly random pattern. He felt like he couldn't take it all in quick enough.

"Hey, Reeve." He asked, as they passed a particularly large robot that looked like one giant weapon.

"Yes."

"Did you make _all_ these?"

Reeve looked at him over his shoulder and laughed lightly, "No. I designed all of them but I have a special team who puts most of them together. The only projects I complete on my own are the bigger ones that I can't trust others to handle. For example, the Power Regulator you're about to use is 100% my own work."

"Wow…"

Tseng took in Reno's awed expression and shared a grin with Reeve, who stopped to hold open the door to yet another room. Reno followed Tseng in and paused to look around. The room was small and rectangular with the whole left side wall constructed of a clear glass. Beneath the viewing window was a long console filled with buttons and switches. There were three wheeled swivel chairs in front of the console and Reno was surprised to see a large black and white cat sitting in one, watching them. Even stranger was that the cat wore a small golden crown on it's head between the ears. Reno leaned toward Tseng to whisper, "What's with the cat?"

Before Tseng could answer Reeve laughed and shook his head. "That's not a cat. Reno, meet Cait Sith. He's the first ever completely successful artificial being."

The cat looked at him and _grinned_. "Good afternoon."

Reno blinked stupidly and shook himself hard. "Afternoon to you to." He said slowly.

"Not only is Cait capable of human thought, speech and emotion but he's also a valuable partner in my work."

"Wow…that's awesome."

Reeve blushed lightly and rubbed the back of his neck. "I know, I know."

"You're not very modest, are you?" Reno asked, grinning.

"Modest? What is this modest you speak of? I've heard it but I've never been too clear on it's meaning."

Tseng shook his head as Reno giggled and Cait Sith rubbed his paws together. "So, what is it we're doing?"

Reeve switched to business mode and nodded, "We're here to determine Reno's power level."

"Ah, okay."

He turned to Reno. "We've got to stay up here but follow me and I'll show you what to do."

Reno nodded and followed the man down a short set of stairs from the observatory deck. The stairs opened out to a windowless, gray walled room with a strange, large, shiny steel contraption. It had a seamless steel door that Reeve pulled open with a grunt. The inside was lit by long orange lights and was roughly the size of a medium closet.

"You stand in here, I close the door and when we give the okay what you need to do is release as much of your power as you can without killing yourself. You can control it, right?" Reeve asked, looking suddenly concerned.

"Yeah. Why, are you afraid I'll break it?"

Reeve looked at him and scoffed. "No. I know it can handle it, but I'm concerned that you'll kill yourself."

"Please. I'd be dead already if I hadn't gained control of my powers. I _have_ been dealing with them for 10 years now."

Sighing, Reeve shrugged and waved him into the machine. "Alright. If you say so."

Reno eyed the insides of the machine and stepped in, turning to face Reeve. The man smiled and said, "Good luck." Before closing the door. He waited in the faint orange glow until an unseen intercom crackled and Reeve's voice came though. "You ready, Reno?"

"Bring it on."

Standing before the bullet proof glass, Tseng stared down at the machine. _Time to see what you're really made of._

Cait Sith flipped a few switched and nodded, and Reeve leaned toward the microphone. "Give it all you got, kid."

"I hear ya." Reno said, and closed his eyes. He breathed deep and reached out mentally toward that small spark of power at his center. He tapped into it and gently blew on it, making that spark leap to roaring life and he spread it though out his body, feeling as flames burst out around him. The air began to shimmer but he felt none of the heat and poured more of his power out, opening gates he'd constructed years before and never dared release. It felt incredible, to let out so much. He'd never been able to let go of his iron control like this and it felt liberating in a way he could never explain. Still, it wasn't enough. He could sense that there were reserves of power he'd yet to even touch and he suddenly had the urge to see how far he could go. Around him the flames and heat had grown so intense that the machine was a bright glowing red, and was slowly beginning to melt. But he was dead to anything but the tantalizing sensation of his power pouring out. Dimly, he registered the sounds of someone's voice, it sounded frantic so he reluctantly clamped down on his power and listened.

"Stop! It's too much!" That was…Reeve.

Then Tseng, "Bring it down, Reno! Control! You're too powerful!"

Too powerful. That was disappointing. Even a machine designed to handle extreme conditions couldn't handle him. He could never just…let go. Not completely.

"Please! You're going to destroy everything!"

Releasing an unheard sigh, Reno gathered his power tightly around him and began drawing it back in. He rebuilt the gates in his mind carefully, locking his power away. When the last of his flame went out, Reno opened his eyes and stared. Without even realizing it he had collapsed the roof of the machine and the walls were nothing more then a bubbling mass of molten steel.

"Shit." He swore softly and coughed at the rancid smell of burnt metal. He carefully stepped though the mess and stood off to one side, eyes narrowed and a sense of dread in his stomach. "Fuck."

"Reno!"

He snapped his head over to Tseng, who stood at the stairs looking at him in a way he couldn't decipher. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." He called over, "But Reeve's machine…"

"Can be rebuilt." Cait Sith's voice said over the intercom, "That was amazing. I've never seen such readings before."

Despite the cat's words, Reno felt as though he'd just made a huge mistake. _Idiot, you knew better then to let go so much and you did it anyway. You could have killed them!_ He winched at the thought and gripped his wrist tightly.

"Hey, come on. Get out of there." Tseng called, waving him over.

Reno nodded, mainly to himself, and picked his way carefully over to the other Adept and followed him up the stairs. Cait Sith was staring, enraptured at the computer screen with rolling numbers and Reeve sat on one of the chairs, pale.

Reno shuffled his feet, nervous but unwilling to show it. "Man, I am so sorry about that. You said it could handle my power and…"

"You wanted to prove me wrong?"

"No!" He blinked in surprise, "That wasn't it at all, I just…"

"Relax." Reeve sighed and grinned up at him. "It's just a machine, I can make another, as long as you're alright?" He said it like a question and he peered at Reno closely.

"I'm fine."

Reeve shook his head in bewilderment, "I can't believe what my own eyes saw."

"Yeeah." Reno rubbed at his neck nervously, unsure what to say. He looked over at Tseng but the man seemed lost in thought. Cait Sith looked up and waved him over. "Here. Look at this."

He went over and stared at the screen but couldn't really make sense of what he was seeing.

"This is basically showing your power level compared to both Tseng's and Rude's. As you can tell, you're way off any chart we have, and, judging by your rate of gain I'd say you've still got a whole lot of energy you never got a chance to release."

"Oh, you don't say." He said weakly, jumping when Tseng put a hand on his shoulder.

"You certainly are one of a kind, Reno." _Just like Verdot_.

"He's so one of a kind that we have no level to compare him to." Reeve said, thoughtful. "Which means I'm going to have to recalibrate all my calculations."

Reno almost apologized again but then he realized that the older man seemed to be relishing the challenge.

Just then Tseng's phone rang and he pulled it out. "Yes." He listened a moment and nodded. "We'll be right there." He said before closing and tucking it away.

"What was that?" Reno asked softly.

"Just Rude. He's waiting for us." Tseng turned toward Reeve and Cait Sith and bowed slightly. "Thank you for the effort and let us know what you figure out, okay?"

Reeve nodded. "Sure." He said easily as Cait Sith waved and Reno turned to follow the other man out. "Sorry again about your machine." He called over his shoulder.

"Reno, it was worth it to see that."

Surprised but pleased, Reno laughed and waved as he walked out. Their walk back to the office was quiet as Tseng seemed lost in his thoughts yet again. Reno glanced at him then away, frowning deeply. He noticed and stopped, causing Reno to stop as well and look at him in puzzlement.

"Is something wrong?"

"Huh?" Reno blinked. "No, it's fine. Why?"

"You look upset." Tseng said, studying him closely.

He tried to shrug but Tseng just raised an eyebrow and Reno sighed. "I'm just…surprised you and Reeve and Cait Sith took what I did so well."

Tseng frowned, "What were you expecting us to do?"

"I dunno…I wouldn't blame you for being leery of my lack of control."

"Lack of control?" he repeated. "You had that perfectly under control."

"I destroyed that machine _designed_ to handle powers and nearly killed all of you."

"That machine was never tested for fire Adepts and Reeve was over confident. That wasn't your fault. Besides, your control was perfect. You heard what we said and you were able to stop yourself once you realized what was going on. I see no reason yet to doubt your ability." Tseng explained calmly.

Reno rubbed at his neck and blinked. "Oh. Umm, thanks?"

"Feel better now?" he asked, smirking slightly.

"Sure. What about you?"

"Me?" Tseng frowned slightly and Reno nodded. "Yeah. You looked pretty contemplative a minute ago."

"Well, to be honest, I was a little absorbed at how well you controlled yourself. I've never seen someone with such impressive power and impeccable control over it."

Reno grinned, "Ah, so your jealous." He said lightly and the raven rolled his eyes. "Oh yes. Completely."

"I knew it."

Tseng chuckled and kept going, Reno following with a wide grin. Returned to the office, they found Rude waiting for them again outside. Giving a cursory nod, Tseng led them in as Reno waved cheerfully at the bald man. Taking their, now custom, seats Reno and Rude sat there looking at Tseng.

"So, what's next?" Reno asked.

Tseng raised one shoulder. "The Junon Conference where we're expected to guard over Rufus is in four days. At first I thought we needed to teach you more control but you've proven your ability already. However, I do still need to teach you how to mask your mental signature from other Adepts like me."

"I'd like Reno to show me how to do that sword trick of his." Rude said.

Tseng nodded in agreement and Reno shrugged. "That's right, I was supposed to show you that today. Well, I don't mind trying but I can't guarantee it'll work. I'm not sure exactly what Verdot did to help me call on Salamandra."

"Verdot?"

"Yeah. Turns out that Adept you mentioned to me earlier is the same guy that saved my life 8 years ago."

Rude looked at him in surprise. "Interesting."

"We'll start all that tomorrow. I have to write a report on the interrogation but you two head on out and get some rest. I have a feeling the next few days are going to be very long." Tseng said, folding his hands on the desk.

Rude stood with a bow and Reno got up as well, giving Tseng a grin. "What time do you want us to show up tomorrow?"

"Be here at 7:00."

"Okay. Sleep well tonight there, Boss." Reno said as he followed Rude out the door. Tseng blinked in surprise at the well wishing but they were gone before he had to reply. _You too…Reno._

------

A/N: The * that appears while Reno is talking to Reeve for the first time means that this little note is here to explain why he lied. It's simple really, Tseng's the only one's he's told about Verdot and he's not sure if he can trust Reeve enough to tell him otherwise. Reno's just being safe, understandable given the circumstances ^.^

Yep, There's chapter four for ya. Don't worry, the real plot begins to unravel in the next few chapters. And they will start to get longer, I know a lot of you are looking for longer chapters. I'm working on that. Still.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Hidden Power**_

Summery: Adepts. People born with a power most could only imagine. Most never live long enough to understand what they are before they're hunted and killed like animals. Normal people don't understand and fear is born because of that. Shinra is the only company strong enough to control these people, with or without their agreement. But all that is coming to an end as the Adepts begin to stand up for what they deserve.

Reno/Tseng

A/N: Yay! Chapter 5 is up! I just love it when I get chapters I love up for the peeps to read. In this Chappie we start to see a glimpse of the man behind the mask regarding Rufus, I think most of you will be quite happy.

Disclaimer: Let's see now, I own the pen I wrote this with, the paper I wrote this on and the computer I typed this on but the one thing I don't own is Final Fantasy VII. Bummer.

Review replies:

Infinityinmirrors- Aww, thank you!! I hope that you enjoy this chapter and the Rufus that I've created. Heh, I'm glad you read it, most people wouldn't even bother if they thought it was a knock off. Yeah, so this is for you!! Enjoy!!!

Chapter Five:

The four days passed quickly, far quicker then Tseng liked. Reno had proven to be a quick study and had learned everything he needed just in time. He'd also been able to help Rude summon the physical manifestation of 'the strength of his soul'. The man had chosen to call it Sangin, a fitting name for an Earth Adept's soul weapon. Reno had offered to help Tseng summon his but the older man had only laughed and said that it probably wouldn't work with his type of power.

"Hey, I forgot to ask, what kind of powers do Sensors have besides searching out power signals?"

Tseng smirked. "Give me your hand and I'll show you."

He did and Tseng held it between both of his own. Reno felt a strange tingling and his internal spark flickered as Tseng drew away and snapped his fingers. A round sphere of flames appeared hovering over the raven's palm and he tossed it from hand to hand.

"Wow…" Reno breathed, watching the flames as if mesmerized. Tseng smiled and clapped his hands, the sphere disappearing and Reno felt a small flash of warmth as that tidbit of his power returned.

"Do you see? I can borrow other's powers and do a little bit of mind reading."

"Cool…"

Tseng had felt absurdly pleased at the redhead's awe, a feeling that he was unaccustomed to. Now, came the mission and he had a feeling that something was going to go horribly wrong. He had no idea what would _really_ go down.

-------

Reno looked up at the chopper with a red Shinra logo on the side and whistled. "Now that's what I call a bird."

"Only the finest for Shinra's son." Tseng said softly to him and he nodded in agreement. _Lucky bastard._

Rude grunted a warning and they both straightened up and turned as the door to the roof opened and Rufus stepped out. Immaculate in another white suit and looking as though he thought everyone else were ants beneath his feet, Rufus swept passed them and boarded the helicopter. Reno crossed his arms and frowned, "I don't like him."

"No one likes him." Rude said simply.

"I can see why. Snobby bastard."

"Well, what did you expect? He's been handed everything on a gold platter inlaid with diamonds. A Shinra doesn't know the words want or need." Tseng said, sounding bitter before waving them into the flyer. The raven took the co-pilots seat so Rude and Reno were left to sit in the back across from the Vice-President. The rotors began spinning, gaining speed with each second until the sound grew too loud for conversation. Not that there would have been much talking even if they could hear.

Reno shifted uncomfortably, feeling Rufus' cold eyes on him and focused his attention on the scene below them. It was a sad view. The area outside Midgar was ravaged, with nothing but desert, mountain and monsters. Most of it was Shinra's fault, he knew, but he still wasn't sure how the company managed to destroy so much of the planet. _Have to ask Tseng._ He thought. Suddenly his keen eyes caught something strange and he raised a hand to shade his eyes, narrowing them with a puzzled frown.

_Is that? It can't be…_

There was what looked like a supped up tank, wait, no, three tanks heading perpendicular to their course and was clearly waiting for them. A shiver of danger shot down his spine and Reno snapped his buckled free. "Tseng!" he yelled over the roar of the wind, jerking to his feet as Rude craned his head to see what he'd seen. "Tanks!"

Tseng waved to show that he'd heard and Reno slid open the side door of the helicopter, wind tugging even harder at them. Holding tightly to a hand bar he leaned out of the 'copter, ignoring Rufus' slightly stunned look in favor of a bigger problem. "Rude! I need binoculars!" he called. A moment later they were in his hand and he raised them up, squinting down at the tanks.

"Reno!" Tseng called.

The redhead swore. "Yeah, it's Avalanche! No doubt."

"Great. If they fire you know what to do."

Reno nodded. If they fired it was up to him to destroy the missiles before they could reach them. He was the only one who could do it, Rude needs contact with the ground for his powers to control it where Reno's fire lives within him, always at his disposal.

As predicted, he saw the barrels aim towards them and Reno tossed the binoculars over his shoulder. He leaned as far out of the helicopter as he could and raised his hand toward the incoming missiles, fire leaping from his hand and streaming through the sky to engulf the explosives, the intense head detonating them prematurely. The explosions rocked the 'copter and Reno's grip slipped, gasping he lurched out the door. He fell for a long heart stopping moment before he was yanked back aboard by Rude. Breathless and pale, he almost hugged Rude in relief. Instead he grinned and saluted and Rude nodded as he turned back to the door to continue his look out. The tanks seemed to have stopped advancing, probably stunned at how their attacks were destroyed.

"Reno! They won't dare attack once we reach Junon skies. Can you hold them off until then?" Tseng called.

"Of course." He called back. _Don't have much choice. If I don't we die._

There was a high pitched whistling sound and Reno snapped his attention back to the tanks, which had released a single missile. Instantly recognizing that this missile was somehow different, Reno gathered his power into one big mass within him and, with a grunt, shoved the balloon of super heated air and fire at the bomb. At first he couldn't tell if he'd stopped it or not but then their was an explosion of blinding light and Reno felt pain lace through his skull as the flash stunned his eyes. He felt himself being smashed to the floor and for a minute he couldn't move. Finally, ears ringing, he pulled himself upright using a seat and looked around worriedly. Rude was just getting back to his feet, looking equally shaken up and Rufus was pale and holding tightly to his harness. Reno would have laughed if he had the breath to spare. Luckily, Tseng and the pilot had managed to keep them in the air.

"Everyone alright?" Tseng turned his head back to look at them and he stared at Reno. "Reno, you're bleeding."

"What?" It was then that he noticed a sticky warmth on the side of his face and he gingerly felt around. Giving a thumbs up he said, "I'm okay. It's just a minor scratch."

Tseng nodded and turned back, "What happened to the enemy?"

Reno went back to the door and peeked out but the tanks were retreating and he relaxed slightly. "It's okay, they're running!" Rude stood next to him and together they watched as Avalanche disappeared in a cloud of dust as they abandoned the attack.

"We'll be in Junon in a few minutes. Buckle back up."

"Yes, sir."

Reno and Rude returned to their seats after closing the door and it was then that Reno noticed that Rufus was watching him again, but it was different this time. The blond looked curious and interested but not malicious or cold. Their eyes met and Rufus blinked, turning glacial cold in an instant. _Interesting._ Reno thought as he politely looked elsewhere. Minutes later the helicopter was setting down on the roof of a hotel and Reno and Rude got out, covertly scoping to be sure it looked safe before waving Rufus out. Once Tseng left the 'copter and Reno and Rude had unloaded their bags, it lifted off again to head back to Midgar.

The door to the hotel opened and a slim man in a black suit came out. Reno thought that he looked like the manager and the guess was confirmed when the man introduced himself to Rufus.

"It is an honor you chose to room with us, Sir. I sincerely hope you will enjoy your stay here."

"Make sure I do and perhaps I will." Was the emotionless reply.

The manager blinked and stuttered for a moment, to Rufus' obvious amusement, before bowing. "If you would please follow me."

Reno growled but trailed after Tseng as the raven followed them into the hotel, Rude close behind with all their luggage. They were led through down the stairs and out into the hotel lobby, which was red carpeted and lavishly decorated with plush armchairs and a long lounge couch. The manager went behind the desk for a moment before going back to Rufus, holding four keys. He passed one to each of them. "Your rooms are on the second floor and your room numbers are written on your keys." He looked at Rude, burdened with their suitcases, "Do you need any assistance?"

"That won't be necessary." Tseng said smoothly. "Thank you for your help."

Looking skeptical the manager bowed to them and went back behind the desk. Tseng, followed by Rufus, led Reno and Rude up to the next level and helped Rufus unload his two suitcases from Rude and into his room. While the blond unpacked they each went to their own rooms to do the same. Tseng's room was directly across the hall from Rufus', with Reno to the Vice-President's left and Rude to the right.

Alone in his room, Reno merely dropped his bag down at the foot of his bed and blinked. His room was small but comfortable with a queen sized bed of black sheets and a deep red, fluffy comforter. Each side of the bed had a small table with an elegant, round lamp on both. The opposite side of the room held a maroon recliner chair to match the bed and another table stood next to that with a few old newspapers thrown forgotten on it. Rather content with his quarters, Reno went over to the window, which had black and red curtains, and opened it. Savoring the breeze that came thorough, he stared out in awe at the sun. The golden yellow orb was just setting over the horizon and the colors it gave were a mystifying mix that he'd never laid eyes on. Orange, yellow, pink, purple, blue, the colors stretched across the sky, dying the clouds and reflecting off the windows of the Junon buildings. As awe inspiring as the sight was, it also filled him with a sense of sadness. In 24 years he'd never had the opportunity to witness such a beautiful sight. Living in Midgar, he never had the change to get above the plate before recently. Being a hunted freak had forced him to dwell in the darkest, dirtiest corners of the city.

_I never could have imagined such a view. These people have no idea what they have._ He thought bitterly. _They keep taking and taking with absolutely no regard for others._

Reno turned his head to stare blankly at the wall that connected his room with Rufus'. Rufus…everything he'd seen about the younger man so far had only given him reason to hate him but…the way the blond had looked at him, just that once when he thought Reno wasn't watching…

It drew his curiosity, because in that moment he'd seen something _other_ then the cold, heartless and hateful Shinra heir. Something that struck him as vaguely…human. And human was not something he, or anyone, would think of when dealing with a Shinra. Don't mistake, that one fleeting moment would not be enough to change his perspective of the Shinras but it did give him a glimmer of a thought. He would be watching the other man closely now, to determine if what he'd seen was a trick of his mind or if there really was something more to this man then the family image. It was doubtful but still…some instinct or feeling in him had been triggered, and his interest had been well and truly grabbed.

There was a knock at his door then and Reno shook himself back to the world as it opened and Tseng stepped in. The raven took a quick glance around before settling his gaze on Reno. "What do you think of your room?"

Reno looked at it once more in reflex and shrugged. "It's nice. What are we doing about food?"

"Rufus will be calling room service. You can do the same or just go down to the kitchen, but at least one of us needs to be near him at all times."

He nodded and Tseng's eyes narrowed. "What is it?"

"Huh?" Reno shot him an odd look and turned to look back out the window.

"You look as though there is something weighing on your mind."

Reno couldn't help but shake his head. Tseng was annoyingly perceptive but he'd already decided not to say anything about his thoughts towards Rufus. Not until they made more sense. So he went with the other thing that really had needled him. "This…sunset, it's amazing."

Suddenly understanding, Tseng winced unnoticed and stood beside him. "It is that."

"You know, this is the first one I've seen. I mean I've heard of them, of course, but this one is the first my eyes have seen." He leaned forward and braced his palms on the sill, eyes on the sun rather then the man beside him. "And that's fine. It's the way my life had worked out, but what kills me are all the people who see sights like this everyday and think absolutely nothing of it. I bet most people don't even take the time to look up and appreciate everything they have."

Tseng could only nod and watched as the dying sun lit Reno's hair to mirror the flames that lay within him.

"And I don't just mean the sunsets. People are always taking complete advantage of the things around them. I would love to see how someone like the Shinras would survive in the Slums or in the place of a poor family." Reno's voice wasn't a bitter as his thoughts had been before and vaguely wondered why.

Tseng, his own voice smooth as silk, said. "People who grow up with everything they need, forget that other people don't always share that pleasure."

A sigh worked it's way out of Reno, unbidden. "I know. Sometimes it just pisses me off, how clueless people are." He straightened and slid the window closed with a snap of finality.

Tseng nodded and turned away, heading for the door. "Anything you want from the kitchen? I'll bring it up."

"Not right now. I'll go down myself later."

"Fine. I want you to keep first watch on Rufus tonight."

Reno blinked but nodded. "Sure."

Tseng was opening the door when Reno called his name to make him pause.

"Thank you."

He leaned against the door jam and looked back at the redhead, "For what?"  
Reno's grin was strange. "I'm…not sure. Asking about it, I guess."

Understanding, Tseng nodded and pushed himself away, leaving Reno to pull the curtains closed.

Rude was standing without expression beside the Vice-President's door when Tseng exited from Reno's room and he stopped in front of him. "Anything you want to eat?"

Rude shook his head and he nodded before continuing on his way, but after a few steps he paused again. "What do you think about Reno?"

Surprised, the bald man blinked unseen. "Sir?"

Tseng turned back toward him, a puzzled expression on his face. "Reno. What do you think of him?"

Rude was silent for a moment, then, "He's young. Yet, sometimes I get the feeling he's older then us. I think that he's seen a lot of things he never should have."

Tseng was nodding. "I've felt that as well."

"Also…his power burdens him."

The raven raised an eyebrow but said nothing. That was probably true. Reno was powerful, incredibly so. But…with that much strength comes the responsibility of controlling it.

"_I have nothing but my Power left for me anyway, and that is not a blessing."_

"_I wouldn't blame you for being leery of my lack of control." _

It was reasonable that Reno would hate who he is, considering that his Powers had done nothing but bring him trouble. Still, he sense an unease in the redhead's mind and he didn't know what exactly was causing it. Although Reno had talked, he hadn't really said anything. He seemed exceptionally good at a lot and yet saying nothing of importance. While it was true that the redhead had been miffed at people in general, Tseng was certain it was not the issue Reno was currently debating. He had avoided the heart of Tseng's question expertly, and that made him wonder what Reno felt he had to hide. "He keeps everything to himself."

Rude nodded. "Yes, but then, so do we."

A valid point. It was no surprise, so then, why did it bother him? Why does he find himself _wanting_ to know about Reno? They've only known each other for close to a week and yet he felt…well, he wasn't sure how he felt.

Rude, who was watching him, cleared his throat. "Did you know he's asked me a lot of questions about you?"

"You don't say. What did you tell him?" He was surprised the redhead showed such interest.

"Only what I knew. Most of his questions I couldn't answer. I think that, if you want him to talk, you'll have to do so as well."*

Tseng nodded absently. Again, that made sense. You can't expect to get something without first giving something in return. He shrugged a shoulder and continued down toward the kitchen, wondering how he would start such a conversation.

-----------

At exactly nine o'clock, Rude knocked on Reno's door the first 3-hour night shift. With a wordless exchange, the redhead was left standing outside Rufus' door as Rude disappeared into his own room to stock up on sleep. Reno stood there for several minutes before he sighed and shrugged and plopped down to sit with his back to the wall beside the door. Cross legged with elbow on his knee and chin in his hand, Reno fleetingly wondered how he was going to pass three hours of nothing. But this was his job now and in turn that meant his life, so he would do it. He may not like it but he would do it. Sighing again, he tapped fingers absently against his leg and thought. Reno didn't like to spend a lot of his free time thinking because all he had to think about was everything he hated in his life. Though, there are definitely some new things to process and they weren't even bad things. For starters, there's Reeve. The man was a genius but not the type to rub his superior intelligence in other's faces. He even had a sense of humor, however dry it may be and Reno felt he could honestly say he liked the older man. And Cait Sith, that little robo-cat was truly amazing, with a personality all his own despite not being a true animal. Although the two of them worked for Shinra, they weren't bad people, which only proved that the corruption began at the highest point and didn't, in fact, include everyone. That was a good realization and he felt slightly better about his position. As long as people like Reeve and Cait Sith remained, there was hope for their success. It helped that Tseng and Reeve seemed to truly be good friends or at least have an understanding of each other.

_Wish I understood Tseng._ Reno thought with a frown. He'd never met anyone so hard to read before, which was made even stranger by the fact he trusted him perfectly. It may be that he hardly knew the raven, but that didn't seem to matter. He _felt_ like he knew him in a way he couldn't explain. Tseng was a mystery and at the same time not complicated at all, that in it's self was damn puzzling. _What is it about him that is so compelling? And how the HELL has only five minutes passed!?_ Reno groaned aloud and ruffled his hair in frustration. "I've _never_ been so frightfully bored in my life." He thumped his head back against the wall and stared blankly at the ceiling.

An hour later and he'd counted the number of stars and triangles and other random geometric shapes that decorated the carpet more then a few time and had somehow managed to get a different number each time. Giving up on that he had then switched over to playing cats cradle with his shoelaces but let's face it, his mind could only focus on the same activity a few minutes at most before he had to think of something else. Unhitching his EMR, Reno studied it closely and turned the voltage up with a knob, then hit the button. Blue sparks jumped from its tip and he grinned, enjoying the small light show before realizing that he must look like a child, staring at a few small sparks the way he was. He cleared his throat quietly and put his new weapon away. Sitting still again, Reno suddenly remembered an old trick he'd learned years before. With a snap of his fingers he had a glowing, shimmering ball of fire in both hands. He tossed them up lightly and summoned three more to hand with the original. A flick of his fingers sent them in motion. Wheeling, turning, weaving an intricate dance of light and energy. Shadows winked at him as the light played across the walls and himself and he felt that bone deep weariness that came with staring at such a mesmerizing display of color and he was forced to stop before he accidentally put himself to sleep. He held the last glimmering orb in his palm and lifted it close to his face, taking in the unique scent of fire with nothing to burn but the air. It was a comforting smell that always lingered near him. A byproduct of his abilities most likely. Staring at the globe, he frowned suddenly, an unusual feeling passing through him that he couldn't place. Unnerved, he shivered and blew out the orb to stare broodingly at his hands.

"Graah!" Reno growled. _Stupid guard duty, giving me emo thoughts with all this boring down time. Sucks!_

While sitting there griping sorely to himself, the door next to him opened and Reno was on his feet in a second. Standing in the doorway was Rufus, dressed in a white satin pajama shirt and matching pants. Surprised, Reno stared at him, and he stared back. Finally, Reno raised an eyebrow and said, "Sir?"

"What are you doing?"

Blinking at the obvious question, Reno frowned ever so slightly. "I think I'm guarding you."

"Really? Most guards don't_ sit_ outside their protectorates door."

"Eh?" He rubbed the back of his head and shrugged one shoulder. "If you're concerned that I am unfit as your guard, don't worry. Even sitting I can char any threat to show up before they could ever reach this door."

Cold blue eyes appraised him closely. "You're awfully confident in your abilities."

"Hell, I should hope so. I've survived the last decade because of them." Reno suddenly saw a glint of that same curiosity.

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-four. Why?"

Eyes widened in surprise Rufus couldn't hide. "That would mean you were fourteen when your Powers emerged. I thought that wasn't possible until the age of twenty, at least."

Reno sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know and I wish people would quit stating the obvious. And before you ask, no, I don't know why it happened." He saw Rufus smile then, but it was so quick he couldn't be sure it was really there or if he'd imagined it. "You've seen what I can do first hand, Sir. You're perfectly safe." He said, watching the blond carefully.

Rufus raised an eyebrow. "Yes…that was a somewhat impressive display."

_Somewhat impressive?_ Reno thought, feeling slightly degraded. _I'd like to see HIM explode a rocket missile._ Deciding that strangling this snob would not be beneficial, Reno shrugged and grinned toothily. He glanced at his watch and was relieved to see that Tseng should be coming out soon to take over.

"Your shift finished?" Rufus asked, sounding bored.

"Yeah, Tseng should be replacing me now." He looked at the Shinra heir, leaning in the open doorway, and frowned. "Hey, why did you come out and talk to me?"

Rufus just gave him another one of those small, indescribable smiles and went back into his room, just as Tseng's own door opened. Reno stared at the closed door with a puzzled frown and raised a hand to scratch behind his ear. "Okay…"

"Reno? What is it?"

He turned to Tseng and shrugged. "I don't know. That guy is so hard to read." _Just as difficult as you…_

The raven's eyes flicked toward the door. "Rufus? You spoke to him?"

"Well…I guess. He come out, I'm not sure why, didn't really say much."

"Really. That's strange, he doesn't usually associate with us."

"It was kinda weird." Reno said slowly, "He seemed almost friendly once or twice there."

Tseng frowned, eyes narrowing. "What game is he playing?"

He shrugged again and Tseng sighed. "Alright. You better go get some sleep. Be up and ready at six."

"Yes, sir." Reno nodded. "Don't have too much fun now." He said as he turned to his own door.

Tseng said nothing but rolled his eyes as the other disappeared. He glanced at the blond Shinra's door and crossed his arms thoughtfully. _I don't know what you're thinking, but you better stay away from Reno._

----------

As ordered, Reno was ready and waiting when the knock came at his door and he stepped out into the hall. Tseng and Rude were already there and he nodded to them. "Early morning."

"These things always happen early." Tseng said, "Here, give me your phone."

Curious, he handed the phone he had been given a few days before over and watched as the raven clicked buttons. "I'm adding our numbers incase something happens. This should be a straight forward, no risk operation but anything can happen so don't let down your guard." Tseng explained before giving the cell phone back.

Reno nodded agreeably and slipped it into his pocket. "So, how long is this gonna take?" he asked.

Tseng shrugged. "It varies. Depends on what they are discussing and how long they'll spend on arguing."

"Not very professional, huh?"

"Its politics and they all think they know what's best."

"What's the topic this time?"

"Whether or not we should continue to fund one of the reactors here." Rufus said from his doorway, startling them. "It went critical for some reason recently and the issue is if it would be worth it to waste the money fixing it or not."

"What happened?" Reno asked, unperturbed at who he was talking to.

Rufus shrugged. "A technician screwed up, the whole reactor went critical and the city had to evacuate until it could be brought under control."

"Wow, the damage control must have cost a ton, what happened to the technician?" he said, not noticing Tseng's warning glance.

"What do you think happened to him?" Rufus sneered and closed the door, turning to walk away. "We killed him."

Reno blinked. "Why doesn't that surprise me as much as it should?" he muttered to himself. Tseng looked at him and sighed before following the blond. Reno watched him go and looked at Rude. "What'd I do?"

Rude just shrugged.

----------

The conference consisted of Rufus and seven other people Reno didn't know, or care to know. Some were managers from the reactor and others were city representatives. The debate lasted four hours before a halt was agreed upon for people to cool down or get food. The three of them then had to escort Rufus to a nearby restaurant of his choice. It was a small but sophisticated place that was quite busy, which made it difficult for them to properly keep track of the people going in and out of the place. Reno, who had come to realize that Tseng didn't really want him interacting with the Vice-President, amused himself by categorizing the people around him while Rufus ate. He could see Tseng doing the same thing, though probably for a different reason and Rude, well, he couldn't be sure what Rude was doing. Most of the people there were rich snobs like Rufus, but one couple looked like they were there only to celebrate something. An anniversary most likely. Another man sat at a booth alone with a paper and nothing else. In one corner a mother and her young daughter were eating breakfast together. They all seemed innocent enough and while Reno relaxed slightly, Tseng shifted nervously. He felt uneasy but couldn't tell what felt so wrong. The customers seemed to be okay, none of them appeared to be hiding any sort of weapons.

A white coated waiter walked passed with a tray of three tall, empty glasses and disappeared through the swinging doors to the kitchen. He watched him go and frowned, something tugging at his mind. There was a sudden commotion on the other side of the restaurant and they all looked as the young couple argued with their waiter, stating that this wasn't what they had ordered. The waiter, looking surprised and confused, took the dishes back and bowed as they requested to speak with the manager. Then it hit him, this waiter wore a black suit jacket and Tseng hissed sharply at his own stupidity. He made a hand motion behind his back and discreetly placed himself between Rufus and the kitchen doors. Rude made no obvious movement but Reno slid closer to Rufus and tapped him softly on the arm. The blond carried on eating, ignoring them completely. Tensed, they waited until the kitchen doors snapped back open and several men stormed in, one of which was the white coated waiter.

"Reno." Tseng barked, shoving Rufus toward the redhead, "Get him out of here and someplace safe. We'll handle this."

Reno nodded and ducked out of the front doors, Rufus on his heels. Gunshots echoed after them but Reno didn't pause, darting out into traffic and across to the other sidewalk.

"They're following!" He heard Rufus gasp and Reno only nodded again. He could do this, had done this for a long time. Running away was his specialty, being chased was his life and he could handle it. The only difference between right now and every other time is that he also had Rufus to protect, not just his own miserable existence.

Chancing a look back he saw at least three men after them, all of them armed with guns. _Think, think, think! You can do this._ He cut into a side ally, dragging Rufus by the wrist after him, bullets pinging off the wall behind them. Spotting can of garbage before them, Reno ignited them as they ran passed and kicked the cans over. _This'll slow 'em down a bit._ Turning, he threw up a wall of flames between them, using the garbage as added fuel. Panting, he nodded in satisfaction and was just turning to keep running when somethin small flew through the fire and rolled to their feet. Reno stared down at the grenade and paled. "Fuck." Spinning around, he shoved Rufus as hard as he could, knocking the blond back several feet and dropping to cover him as much as he could.

The bomb went off and Reno heard a deafening boom, saw a flash of yellow-white light and felt an intense flash of heat at his back. It was over in an instant and he was suddenly focused entirely on absorbing the scalding heat that just washed over them. It took a few minutes before he was able to get up and pull Rufus to his feet. The blond looked at him with wide blue eyes, "Are you okay?"

Reno looked at him absently and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." It was a lie. He'd never had to absorb that much outside fire and heat into himself before, now he felt overly hot, almost ill. The force of explosion had been useful in that the debris from the building walls that were either side of them cut them off from their pursuers. Reno reached into his pocket for his phone, pulled it out and cursed. Although he'd been able to protect them, his phone had not been so lucky. It was completely fried. He looked at Rufus and the blond shook his head, "Don't look at me."

Reno raised an eyebrow and Rufus rolled his eyes, "Mine broke a few days ago and I haven't gotten a replacement yet."

"Great." He sighed and looked around. He had no idea where in Junon they were and it didn't help that he'd never been here in the first place. Normally this wouldn't exactly be a problem, he could just raise his Power level and Tseng could follow it to him but with the enemy all around them he couldn't know if they had a sensor of their own. "This has turned out to be a right disaster."

"Well maybe if you Adepts had done your job this wouldn't have happened in the first place."

Reno just looked at him and rolled his eyes, unintimidated. "I just saved your ass so I'd quit complaining."

Surprised, Rufus could only blink at him and Reno began walking, "Come on, let's find a phone or something."

------------

A/N: Ah, could someone please explain to me why unintimidated is not a word? How else could I say not intimidated in one word? Hmm? Hmm?! Anyway, my anger at the usually wonderful spell check aside, what did you all think? How do you like my Rufus? And I just love how the Reno/Tseng is coming along! I realize it kinda looks like there's some Reno/Rufus too but I don't mean their interaction in that manner. I LOVE Runo but not in this ficcie, sorry.

Oh, and the little * from earlier was just my little excitement over Rude having a *gasp* conversation! It's hard for me to write Rude 'cause he's supposed to be all quiet and stuff so then I just forget him completely, poor little bald guy. And he said something insightful! More then one thing actually. I'm so proud! JK. Right, so, time to wrap up this endnote with a little begging. Please!! Review me!!! I'll love you forever!! ……that's a little scary so maybe not _that_ much but I will Love You!! Please!!


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hidden Power**_

Summery: Adepts. People born with a power most could only imagine. Most never live long enough to understand what they are before they're hunted and killed like animals. Normal people don't understand and fear is born because of that. Shinra is the only company strong enough to control these people, with or without their agreement. But all that is coming to an end as the Adepts begin to stand up for what they deserve.

Reno/Tseng, Zack/Cloud

A/N: Ehhe…yeah…it's been a while and I'm sorry! But who knew that senior year would be so damn complicated? The weekends are pretty much my only time to write now and stupid family gets in the way. I swear there was like a week and half period where I didn't even _look_ at this fic…and I do feel bad for that. BUT ANYWAY, here I am finally with this update and I hope you all enjoy.

Disclaimer: *sighs* still not mine. BUT if wishes were roses…I'd have a lot of roses and I'm not sure how this matters SO let's move on.

Chapter Six:

Tseng ducked his head behind the table as a spray of bullets passed over him. Slamming a new clip into his gun, Tseng looked over to where Rude was pinned behind another table and shared a nod before raising up slightly to return fire. The ambush had consisted of seven men to start and, despite his best efforts, four of those men had gone after Reno and Rufus, leaving them to take on the last three and Tseng was certain he'd killed one of them. The other two were hiding behind pillars and they were locked in something of a stand still as neither side could gain an advantage.

"Rude!"

The big man nodded and dropped down to one knee, slapping both his palms flat on the floor. Closing his eyes in concentration, Rude allowed his consciousness to slip deep into the Earth. The feeling of being perfectly safe and at home in the quiet depths nearly made him forget his purpose but then he focused on the movement of their enemies and with a little encouragement on his part, the ground beneath the feet of the gunmen trembled. There was a cracking roar, than the floor collapsed. Screaming, the men were sent through the floor into the basement of the building, debris falling after them. By the time Rude returned to himself, Tseng was already standing at the edge of the hole, staring down. He stood up and headed over to the raven, stopping beside him to gaze into the darkness. "Did they get away?"

Tseng shook his head and tucked away his gun. "I don't know, Reno's masking his power ad I can't sense him anywhere. That's either a good thing or a bad thing."

Rude nodded his understanding. If Reno was simply hiding his powers then it meant he was still somewhat in control of the situation and that the other Sensors wouldn't be able to trace him. The other reason could be that he was already dead, and that was not the preferred outcome. "What next?"

"Our main priority is the safety and retrieval of Rufus, which means we need to find Reno as soon as possible. First thing we need to do is contact the President then all we can do is watch and wait." There was an undertone in the raven's voice that Rude almost missed. It was like a mix of frustration and concern and it had Rude set his jaw in determination. They would find them, one way or another.

Together they turned and walked out, Tseng already dialing familiar numbers on his phone.

------------

"Well…this is unfortunate."

Rufus' reply was scathing, "No, you don't say."

"Shhh…" Reno pressed further back into the shadows, Rufus behind him as he looked warily down the ally. A thin, patch worked dog was sniffing around the other end but it wasn't the mutt that had him holding his breath, it was the shadows that approached the corner. The dog lifted its head and in the darkness' direction and growled softly just as a few people emerged from the murky shadows.

"Shit, it's just a mangy cur." He heard one of them say, frustrated, before taking a shot at the dog, making it yelp and run away.

"Knock it off." The biggest of them growled. From what Reno could see he was a burly black man with, both his eyebrows rose, a machine gun replacing one hand.

"I'm sorry but this damnably frustrating. We had that bastard right in our sights and one of those freaks helped him escape."

One of the others was nodding. "Yeah, but he was new. Shinra has never had fire under their control before."

"Regardless." The black man placed a strong hand on his gun and grinned, "We'll catch those little bastards and when we do…" he trailed off, leaving his meaning clear and his companions voiced their eager agreements. Finally the man turned and led them away, their footsteps fading away slowly. Once he was sure they were gone, Reno relaxed slightly.

"Damn. Those Avalanche goons seem to be everywhere. I _need_ to get a hold of Tseng."

"And how do you plan to do that?"

"I don't know. You're too recognizable to go anyplace public. I just wish we knew for certain whether or not they have Sensors, until we do I just have to assume and play it safe." Sighing, Reno slid carefully around the corner with Rufus close behind.

"What difference would it make? We'd still need to find a phone."

"Not necessarily. As a Sensor Tseng would be able to locate us by feeling out my Powers, but since I can't be sure it's only him looking for us I have to suppress my Power so no one can find us."

Rufus' eyes narrowed slightly as he watched Reno wipe his forehead with a sleeve. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You look awfully hot."

Reno snickered, "Why thank you."

"Very mature." He snarled before slapping the back of his hand on Reno's forehead none too gently. "And you definitely feel like you've got a fever."

"I'm fine!" Reno pushed his hand away and frowned, "And how would you know? A fever to a normal person could be perfectly fine for me."

"Fine, whatever. Ignore your health, see if I care." Rufus turned on his heel then and stalked off, leaving Reno to stare after him in surprise and feeling a tad bit guilty for snapping at him. Cursing Reno dashed after him. "Hold on! You can't run off like that, how am I supposed to protect you!"

"If you're my only protection, shouldn't you worry about keeping yourself alive as well?" Rufus asked coldly.

He had a point that Reno couldn't argue. After several minutes of silence he felt that he had to explain. "It's the grenade."

Obviously surprised, Rufus glanced sideways at him but Reno kept his eyes forward.

"I've never had to do that before. A grenade packs a _lot_ of power and I never even knew I could absorb it like that. As far as I'm aware I shouldn't be able to. My Powers don't work like you'd think. I can't control just any random fire, only the kind I've summoned myself."

"Can fire still kill you?"

There was a moment of hesitation and Reno's response was slow. "Such a powerful force of nature can never be controlled completely and no one's immune to it, ever. But for me, I'm not sure. Like I said, I never even knew I could absorb fire that _I_ didn't create. I think though, that even I have my limits. If my Powers ever back lashed they would kill me, I have no doubt about that, and if the wild fire was strong enough it could very well be beyond my ability to handle."

"You truly hold _that _much power?" Rufus asked, just as somber as the other.

"Again, I honestly don't know. Whenever I've used my Powers it feels as though there is this well of it within me and I've yet to even scratch the surface. I'll be completely frank with you, Rufus."

Rufus blinked at the use of his name for the first time and they stopped to face each other.

"The dept of my own Powers scares me because I truly don't know _exactly_ what I'm capable of or how stable I am. I have a nearly iron control of them now but it wasn't always that way and back when I couldn't control them…I killed a lot of people. Accidentally, and I never know if someday when I need to use them they'll somehow rage out of my control and destroy everything." Reno stuck his hands deep into his pockets and looked at the ground, not really seeing it, as Rufus digested his confession. "Ever since I met Tseng, I've been more confident lately, a little happier with my life. He saved me in more ways then he'll ever know and I'll never be able to repay that. He and Rude, they're all I've got now and they're more then I've ever had. I don't know if you can understand this but if keeping them alive and well meant that I had to sacrifice myself, I'd do it in a heartbeat."

Rufus could hear the sincerity in that and he found himself stunned by the redhead's selflessness, not something he had expected. Surprisingly enough, he felt as though he could relate somewhat with the so called 'freak'. "This may not surprise you but I can't understand. There is no one in my life I care enough for to give my own life in return for theirs."

Then Reno asked him something he hadn't expected. "Why?"

"What?"

"Why do you feel that way? Is it because you're a conceited, heartless ass or because there literally isn't anyone you love?"

Since Reno didn't sound accusing or condescending, Rufus decided to answer truthfully. "Since you've spoken so honestly and openly to me like no one else has, I too will be truthful. There is not a single person alive that I feel any affection for. Love is a fairytale and the feelings that are supposed to come with it are nothing more then a weakness to be used against you and in this world the weak die."

Reno tipped his head back and shrugged. "I don't know if love is a strength or a weakness but you're probably right. Having strong feelings for a particular person or people would put them in a position to hurt or manipulate you. It's like trusting someone with your life, love is."

"So why bother with it at all? Why put yourself at such risk?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe humans are gluttons for punishment or maybe there is something more that we're not understanding. Either way, I'm willing to find out. I trust Tseng and I trust Rude, I may have just met them but I already owe them so much."

Rufus fingered the sleeve of his coat in thought and Reno continued leading them away, understanding that he had given the blond something new to ponder. Hell, it was a new thought for himself considering he had long ago decided that trusting others was out of the question. This time though, he couldn't help it. Tseng and Rude, they were like him and for a reason he couldn't explain, he felt drawn, compelled, to be near them. Especially Tseng. He didn't know if it was because the man had saved his life or if it was for a whole other reason but of everyone he'd met it was Tseng he felt closest to. In the dim light Reno's frown went unnoticed as his musings trailed off with only one lingering thought. _It's these feelings that scare me the most…_

Reno stopped suddenly, skin prickling, not even noticing when Rufus bumped into him. He ignored the other's whispered inquiry and opened his senses a bit. They were being watched…no…_Sensed_.

"Fuck!" He hissed sharply.

"What?" Rufus growled, glancing around warily.

He'd slipped…of all the stupid…no…pulling himself together, Reno reburied his Power Signature, clamping down on it so sharply that he gave himself a headache.

"Reno!"

He jumped at Rufus' strained voice and sighed, "I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Rufus blinked and looked at him, eyes slightly confused. "What is it?"

"I got…too distracted and lost my grip on my Powers. Someone Sensed us and it wasn't Tseng."

"So, what does that mean?"

Reno swallowed and rubbed at his temples, "It means we need to move, quickly. And find someplace to hide." He said, desperate to spot a safe place. "But where?"

"Hey." Rufus pulled at his sleeve and pointed at the top of a tall building that was peaking over the constructions around it. "Isn't that our hotel?"

Reno squinted up at the shadowy roof and frowned, "Maybe, I'm not sure. Even if it is, it's still pretty far way if all we're seeing is the roof."

"True, but at least now we have a direction. If we can find our hotel Tseng and Rude are bound to be there, incase we came back."

"Eh, well, it's as good a plan as any."

"It's our _only_ plan." Rufus muttered dryly.

"That too." Reno said with a grimace before sliding along the wall to another corner. With a long suffering sigh, the blond disappeared after him.

-------

"So. What have ya found?"

The Sensor jumped, hand flying to cover his heart. "S,sir! Umm, I found something that I believe is the Fire Adept's Signature." He said nervously, purposefully not looking behind him.

"And?"

The mousy brown haired Sensor pushed up his glasses and tapped on the keyboard in front of him, bringing up a map on the computer monitor. After a moment a blinking red dot appeared and he nodded at it. "That's where I felt him, b-but remember it was only a minute before he was able to hide again."

"Doesn't matter, we know he's on foot so we'll just surround the area and close in 'till we find him but I want ya to keep an eye out still, Kei."

"Y,yes Sir." Kei muttered, relaxing only once the other was gone. "Man oh man, Kei. You just keep diggin' yerself a bigger hole." He leaned back and closed his eyes, once more throwing his senses out, searching for the poor bastard that Avalanche was so keen on finding.

-------

Tseng froze, his mug under the coffee machine and eyes distant. He'd felt…something, a familiar something that had tugged at the edges of his special senses. "Reno." He breathed. It had only lasted a second but he'd felt it all the same, which meant he was alive and that realization brought him a sense of profound relief. Now, he only wished he knew where the hell the Fire Adept was.

"Tseng." The quietly powerful voice jolted him from his stupor and he muttered a short curse at the overflowing mug. Leaving it in a fit of frustration, he turned to face Rude, who stood in the doorway of the emptied hotel lounge. "Yes?"

Rude said nothing, only stepping aside to allow the entrance of two others. Tseng felt a shock of surprise. "Zack, Cloud. What can I do for you?"

The two young SOLDIERS looked at each other and Zack took a step toward him. "We heard about Reno and the vice-president from the General and well, we were wondering if there was anything we could do to help."

Cloud was nodding and Tseng blinked in surprise at the thoughtful offer.

"I mean, we don't really have anything else to do and the General already gave us permission to assist."

"Hm? Why would he do that?"

Zack shrugged one shoulder and grinned slightly, "I think Sephiroth was impressed with Reno and besides, he knows we sorta befriended him."

"Well, whatever the reason, I appreciate the offer and accept gratefully."

"Good." Zack seemed to relax. "So, what can we do?"

"Up until now, not a lot but I just got a quick sense of Reno. That confirms that he's alive and although it was quick it was strong. If I had to guess I'd say he's within a 15 mile radius. Unfortunately I couldn't pinpoint his position and we don't have the force to comb the city."

"So, you're saying we wait?" Zack sounded slightly put off and he frowned lightly.

Tseng sighed. "Yes. At this point all we can do is be prepared to move out at a moments notice. With luck I'll catch another sign of Reno."

Surprisingly enough it was Cloud who had the next question. "And what if Avalanche Sensed them too?"

The moment of uneasy silence that followed spoke volumes of their thoughts before Tseng turned abruptly and walked away. Zack blinked and moved to follow when Cloud wordlessly held him back, only shaking his head at the other's inquiring look. The raven decided to let it go for now and turned to Rude. "So, where's the kitchen in this place?"

-------

Tseng closed the door behind him and headed immediately for a wooden cabinet that was seated in one corner of his room. Opening it, he pulled out a bottle of dark liquor and a short crystal glass. He poured until the glass was little over half full then set the bottle back down to slam the contents of the glass. Letting out a fiery breath he set the glass aside and settled cross legged on his bed, eyes closed for utter concentration.

It was a little known fact that alcohol had the power to briefly enhance Sensor Powers so long as it was an exact enough dose, and he had every intention of taking full advantage of this brief enhanced sight. Taking slow even breaths he let his mind blank and saw the shimmering lights that were Rude, Zack and Cloud.

Rude's brown was a steady flame, solid and unwavering as the Earth itself. It was a comforting presence in his mind and he turned to study the two SOLDIERS waiting with Rude.

Zack's Power flame was less easily detectable, a small white glow that flickered wildly. Even suppressed by Mako it was clear enough to him to make him slightly concerned that it maybe growing too fast. But then, Wind Adepts were rather unpredictable so for now he filed the thought away.

Now, Cloud's Power flame was slightly stronger and a little more stable. It was a clear blue color and seemed to grow stronger and weaker in a pattern that reminded him of the tides of an ocean. A fitting trait for a Water Adept, and like Zack, his Power was abnormally strong. Tseng momentarily entertained the thought that their Awakening might be happing quicker then he'd estimated before forcing the thoughts aside and instead focusing his Senses on a much larger scale. The brown, white and blue lights grew smaller and he began his search for that achingly familiar, vibrant red flame.

-------

Well, their situation was looking increasingly grim and it was all his fault. His stupid little slip had led Avalanche right to them.

"Reno?"

He had begun to notice, as they made their way toward what they hoped was the hotel, a growing number of men following them and he was certain there might be some ahead of them as well.

"Reno."

And it was all his fault, but on top of that he was feeling increasingly ill. He knew now that he truly did have a fever, he could feel it, and his head was beginning to really pound. It was becoming a real struggle to suppress his Power, he just didn't have the concentration anymore and he could feel his control slowly slipping. They were running out of time in more ways then one, and he wasn't sure they were going to make it.

"Reno!"

A shake of his shoulders drew Reno from his sluggish thoughts and he blinked somewhat blankly at Rufus, who looked both worried and irritated. The blond clearly wanted to ask about him but seemed to decide against it. "What do we do?"

Reno found he didn't have a clue, not anymore. Everything hurt and he closed his eyes to breathe deep, allowing a short burst of clarity where an idea fought the sluggishness of his mind. "Okay, umm. Right. Here's what we need to do." He quickly relayed his plan before he could lose it and Rufus frowned thoughtfully.

"Are you sure about this?"

No. "It's our best bet."

Rufus nodded and took Reno's wrist to help lead him along. The redhead was struggling too much with controlling himself to notice. Finally though, they came to the end of the line and Rufus glared icily around at the men who circled them. He gave Reno a firm shake and the redhead nodded, forcing his himself to focus on the real world now.

That black man from before, the one with the gun arm, took a step toward them, an unpleasant smile on his face. "So, we finally found the mutts."

Neither of them honored him with a response but it didn't seem to bother him. "Your limo is waiting for you _Mr._ Vice-president. And don't worry about you're little fire bitch, we'll put him out of his misery soon enough."

Rufus didn't even blink and the man's smile faded into a snarl. He made a motion and the sound of safeties clicking off guns cut the air around them. Rufus stiffened unnoticeably and squeezed Reno's wrist once, the message clear. Reno flinched and closed his eyes, preparing to do something he'd never attempted before. The air suddenly burst into flame and Rufus could see nothing but shifting shades of blinding white, red and orange.

-------

From the hotel, miles away, Tseng's eyes snapped open with a gasp, a single name falling from his lips in a pained whisper. "Reno…"

-------

A/N: Hah, it's a cliffy! I don't normally do this but I'm not happy with the next couple scenes yet so I figured I'd get this out while I worked on that. Yup, that's about it so review and let me know what you think. How do you like the glimpse of a more human Rufus, hmm?


End file.
